Survey study, 2012
How common are PMS and dysmenorrhea in medical students, and do they affect school performance?
PMS is common in medical students but usually mild to moderate. Dysmenorrhea affects 67% and is linked to worse school performance. Diet changes may help reduce symptoms.
What they did
Cross-sectional survey of 236 female medical students in Turkey randomly selected from 554. Participants completed questionnaires about premenstrual symptoms, diet, and school performance.
What they found
32.2% had no PMS symptoms, 41.9% had mild, 20.3% moderate, and 5.5% severe. 67% had dysmenorrhea, significantly linked to severe PMS and poorer school performance. Higher carbohydrate and junk food consumption were related to higher symptom scores.
What it means for you
Diet changes, especially reducing junk food and carbohydrates, might reduce symptoms and improve school attendance and exam performance. Main limit: cross-sectional study in one country, so cause and effect unclear.
67%
with dysmenorrhea
32.2%
no PMS symptoms
41.9%
mild symptoms
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual symptom severity, dysmenorrhea, and school performance in medical students
- Authors
- Elif Oral, Tülay Sati Kirkan, Esra Yazıcı et al.
- Journal
- Journal of Mood Disorders
- Year
- 2012
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 99
- What was tested
- None - observational, though diet is discussed as potential intervention
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.5455/jmood.20120912035016
Topics
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