Cohort study, 2017
Which PMS symptoms best predict that PMS will interfere with work, relationships, and activities?
Psychological and emotional symptoms are the strongest predictors of how much PMS interferes with daily life. Having at least four cyclical symptoms best predicts significant impairment.
What they did
267 women undergoing assessment for PMDD completed daily symptom diaries for 1 to 4 menstrual cycles. Researchers analyzed which specific symptoms predicted impairment in work, leisure, and relationships using statistical modeling.
What they found
Psychological symptoms (like difficulty concentrating, social withdrawal) were the strongest predictors of impairment. Emotional symptoms like sadness or mood swings predicted impairment but only before accounting for psychological symptoms. Four or more symptoms in the second half of the cycle optimally predicted clinically significant impairment. The five core diagnostic symptoms did not predict impairment better than having four.
What it means for you
If you have PMS, psychological symptoms like trouble focusing and withdrawing from others may matter more than mood symptoms alone for how much the condition disrupts your life. This suggests the current diagnostic threshold of five symptoms may be too high. Main limitation: this was a research setting and may not reflect all people with PMS.
267
Number of women studied
563
Total menstrual cycles analyzed
4
Optimal number of premenstrual symptoms predicting significant impairment
About the study
- Original title
- Predictors of premenstrual impairment among women undergoing prospective assessment for premenstrual dysphoric disorder: a cycle-level analysis
- Authors
- Schmalenberger KM, Eisenlohr-Moul TA, Surana P et al.
- Journal
- Psychological medicine
- Year
- 2017
- Study design
- Cohort study
- Participants
- 267
- What was tested
- None; this was an observational study
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1017/s0033291716003524
Topics
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