Survey study, 2010
What do Brazilian women believe about PMS and what symptoms do they report?
Most Brazilian women (96.1%) had heard of PMS, and 60.3% thought they had it. The most commonly reported symptoms were nervousness and anxiety (76.4%) and mood swings (55.7%).
What they did
Cross-sectional study of 1,053 women aged 18-40 in six major Brazilian cities. Participants were recruited from public health clinics or university staff and faculty. Researchers asked them about their awareness of PMS, their beliefs about it, and their symptoms.
What they found
96.1% had heard of PMS. 65.4% believed all or almost all women experience it. 87.5% said PMS symptoms occur before menstruation. 60.3% thought they had PMS at the time of interview. The most common emotional symptoms reported were nervousness or anxiety (76.4%) and mood swings or crying (55.7%). The most common physical symptoms were breast pain, swelling, or tenderness (37.3%) and period cramps (45.4%).
What it means for you
PMS awareness is high in Brazil, and many women report thinking they have it. Anxiety and mood changes are the most commonly reported symptoms. However, this study asked what women think they have, not formal medical diagnosis using standard criteria, so some women may misidentify their symptoms. It tells us about perceptions rather than actual diagnosed PMS.
1,053
women interviewed
96.1%
had heard of PMS
76.4%
reported nervousness or anxiety
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual syndrome as reported by Brazilian women
- Authors
- Petta CA, Osis MJ, de Pádua KS et al.
- Journal
- International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics
- Year
- 2010
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 1,053
- What was tested
- No intervention; survey of beliefs and symptoms
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgo.2009.07.041
Topics
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