Survey study, 1987
When in the menstrual cycle do symptoms reach their peak?
Symptoms peak during menstruation, not before it. Only 13 percent of women showed a pattern of symptoms worsening before menstruation.
What they did
345 multiethnic community women recorded symptom severity daily for 90 days on a scale from not present to extreme.
What they found
Maximum total symptom scores occurred during menstruation, not before it. Less than 15 percent had moderate to extreme individual symptoms during menstruation. Only 13 percent showed increased symptom severity before menstruation, and another 13 percent showed decreased severity. Six different symptom severity patterns were identified across the cycle.
What it means for you
For most women, symptoms are worst during their period, not before it. This challenges the common belief that premenstrual syndrome means symptoms get worse before menstruation. The main limitation is that this was based on daily self-reporting and we do not know if women were aware they were being studied for cycle patterns.
345
multiethnic community women
13%
showed increased symptoms before menstruation
less than 15%
had moderate to extreme individual symptoms
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual symptoms: another look
- Authors
- Woods NF
- Journal
- Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974)
- Year
- 1987
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 345
- Read the paper
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3120207/