Survey study, 1998
How common and severe are premenstrual symptoms in teenage girls?
Premenstrual symptoms are nearly universal. 88% reported moderate or worse symptoms and 56% reported extreme severity. Older teenage girls had significantly more intense symptoms than younger ones.
What they did
75 adolescents filled out a self-report questionnaire about physical, emotional, and behavioral premenstrual symptoms. Researchers compared symptoms between younger girls (13-15 years old) and older girls (16-18 years old), using both their age and how long they had been menstruating.
What they found
All 75 girls reported at least one premenstrual symptom. The most common were food cravings, breast swelling, abdominal discomfort, mood swings, feeling stressed, and dissatisfaction with appearance. 88% reported moderate symptoms, 73% reported severe symptoms, and 56% reported extreme symptoms. Less common were missing school, violent behavior, and thoughts of self-harm or death. Girls who were 41 or more months past their first period had significantly more intense symptoms.
What it means for you
Premenstrual symptoms are nearly universal and often severe in teenage girls. A concerning finding is that some girls report thoughts of self-harm or death related to their cycle, though this is less common. The sample was small and 96% white, which limits how much we can generalize.
88%
Moderate or worse symptoms
56%
Extreme symptoms
75
Study participants
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual symptoms. Prevalence and severity in an adolescent sample
- Authors
- Cleckner-Smith CS, Doughty AS, Grossman JA
- Journal
- The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine
- Year
- 1998
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 75
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/s1054-139x(97)00239-5
Topics
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