---
title: How many college students have premenstrual symptoms? | Niyora
description: Most do. 90 percent of college students report at least one premenstrual symptom, but only a few with severe symptoms seek help.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/prevalence-of-premenstrual-symptoms-among-college-students-2013/
---

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- How many college students have premenstrual symptoms?

Survey study, 2013

# How many college students have premenstrual symptoms?

Most do. 90 percent of college students report at least one premenstrual symptom, but only a few with severe symptoms seek help.

 Early or limited evidence

537 college students in Turkey, mean age 21.4 years

## What they did

Cross-sectional study of 537 college students in Turkey. Researchers asked about premenstrual symptoms using a screening tool.

## What they found

Mean age was 21.4 years. 90 percent reported at least one symptom. 34.1 percent had moderate symptoms and 19.5 percent had severe symptoms. Moderate symptoms lasted about 5.7 days per cycle, and severe symptoms lasted about 6.1 days. Average symptom duration over years was 3 to 6 years. Only 5.5 percent of those with severe symptoms had sought treatment.

## What it means for you

Premenstrual symptoms are very common in college-aged women, but most do not realize symptoms are treatable. Only a tiny fraction of those with severe symptoms get treatment, meaning many women suffer without knowing help exists. The study only included Turkish college students, so patterns may differ elsewhere.

90%

Reported at least one symptom

5.5%

With severe symptoms who sought treatment

5.7-6.1 days

Symptom duration per cycle

## About the study

Original title Prevalence of Premenstrual Symptoms Among College Students Authors Gülden Uzer Ekin, Murat Ekin, Kadir Savan Journal Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences Year 2013 Study design Survey study Participants 9 What was tested None—observational study Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.5336/medsci.2011-25764](https://doi.org/10.5336/medsci.2011-25764)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Oral contraceptives and drospirenone](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormonal-contraceptives/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/)

Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits.

Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor.

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