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Survey study, 2019

Does PMS affect medicine students and literature students differently?

Yes. Literature students experienced more PMS and more severe symptoms than medicine students, and PMS had a bigger impact on their daily life and academic work.

Early or limited evidence Medicine and literature students at a university in Saudi Arabia.

What they did

Researchers compared PMS symptoms and how they affected medicine students versus literature students at Taibah University in Saudi Arabia during 2015-2016.

What they found

Medical students suffered less from PMS than literature students. Literature students reported more severe symptoms. Literature students were more affected in their routine daily activities, academic performance, and self-care.

What it means for you

PMS may affect different groups of women differently, though the reasons are unclear. The study suggests that academic field of study may relate to how much PMS affects women, but the exact reasons why are not explained. The main limitation is that the abstract does not provide specific numbers for how many students were in each group or how much more severe the symptoms were.

2015-2016

Study period

About the study

Original title
Premenstrual Syndrome- Prevalence, Severity and Effect on Academic Perfor- mance: A Comparative Study Between Students of Medicine and Literature
Authors
Abeer AL Lihabi
Year
2019
Study design
Survey study
Open access
Yes
Original abstract

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a common health problem in young women that affects their personal and professional lives.METHOD: This is a cross-sectional study, which was performed at Taibah University, Saudi Arabia, in 2015-2016.This study explores the determinants of PMS and its prevalence, severity and impact on students of medicine and literature respectively.RESULT: We find that medical students suffer less from PMS than literature students.The latter experience more severe symptoms and are highly affected in their routine chores, academic performance and self-care.CONCLUSION: Awareness and education about PMS and its risk factors should be considered for effective management of the syndrome and enhancement of the quality of daily life among Saudi women.

Reproduced under CC-BY.

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