Survey study, 2025
How common are premenstrual symptoms in college students?
Premenstrual symptoms are very common, affecting 85 percent of college students in this study. The most frequent symptoms are mood changes like depression and irritability, along with physical discomfort like headaches and fatigue.
What they did
Researchers gave questionnaires to 300 college students aged 18-28 asking about their menstrual patterns and premenstrual symptoms.
What they found
PMS affected 85% of the sample. Most common psychological symptoms were depressed mood, irritability, mood fluctuations, and difficulty concentrating. Most common physical symptoms were body discomfort, headaches, backaches, fatigue, and joint pain. Behavioral changes included short temper, food cravings, and drowsiness. 41.5% engaged in physical exercise and 60% in psychological pursuits.
What it means for you
Premenstrual symptoms are extremely common in college-age women and affect most of those surveyed across physical, mood, and behavioral domains. Understanding that PMS is common may help students feel less alone and may encourage schools to provide more education and support for managing symptoms.
300
college students
85%
with premenstrual symptoms
21.11
mean age in years
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual Symptoms and Menstruation Pattern Among College Students
- Authors
- S Selvalakshmi, S Lakshmanan
- Journal
- International Journal of Zoological Investigations
- Year
- 2025
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 300
- What was tested
- None
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.33745/ijzi.2025.v11i01.015
Topics
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