Survey study, 2021
How common is PMS in teenage girls, and what raises the risk?
Around 1 in 3 adolescent girls in this Indian study had PMS, and risk was higher with older age, certain education levels, educated or working mothers, and irregular periods.
What they did
Researchers surveyed 422 school girls (Class 6 to 12) in Aligarh, India, chosen by systematic random sampling, to measure how many had PMS, their symptoms, and what factors were linked to it.
What they found
37.7% (159 girls) had PMS. The most common physical symptom was abdominal bloating (35.2%) and the most common mood-related symptom was social withdrawal (69.2%). PMS was more likely with older age (AOR 2.19), certain education status (AOR 2.97), having a mother who graduated college or higher (AOR 2.59), having a working mother (AOR 1.81), and irregular menstrual cycles (AOR 2.83). A long cycle over 35 days lowered the odds (AOR 0.40).
What it means for you
PMS is common among adolescent girls and linked to family and cycle-related factors, not just biology. Because this is a one-time survey in one Indian city, it cannot prove these factors cause PMS, only that they appear together.
37.7% (159/422)
Girls with PMS
69.2%
Most common mood symptom (social withdrawal)
35.2%
Most common physical symptom (bloating)
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual syndrome: Prevalence, symptoms, and associated risk factors among adolescent girls in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh
- Authors
- Tarannum F, Khalique N, Eram U
- Journal
- Indian journal of public health
- Year
- 2021
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 422
- What was tested
- None (observational survey, no treatment tested)
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.4103/ijph.ijph_985_21
Topics
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