Survey study, 2011
How common is premenstrual syndrome in Turkish college students and how does it affect quality of life?
Premenstrual syndrome was found in 72.1% of college students and was strongly associated with significantly reduced quality of life.
What they did
Cross-sectional study of 316 college students at Başkent University Medical Sciences Faculty in Turkey. Students completed questionnaires about PMS symptoms and quality of life using researcher-developed scales.
What they found
PMS was detected in 72.1% of students. Most frequent symptoms were low back pain, stress-discomfort, nervous-anger, bloating, and breast tenderness. PMS was more common in students with menstrual irregularity, dysmenorrhea, those consuming 2 or more cups of coffee per day, and those who smoked or drank alcohol. Quality of life decreased significantly as PMS severity increased.
What it means for you
PMS is very common in college students and significantly reduces their quality of life. Certain modifiable factors like caffeine, smoking, and alcohol use are associated with worse PMS. The limitation is this studied only college students in one university, so findings may not represent all women.
72.1%
Prevalence of PMS among college students
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual Syndrome in Turkish college students and its effects on life quality
- Authors
- Pinar G, Colak M, Oksuz E
- Journal
- Sexual & reproductive healthcare : official journal of the Swedish Association of Midwives
- Year
- 2011
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 316
- What was tested
- None (observational)
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.srhc.2010.10.001
Topics
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