Survey study, 1990
What makes some women with PMS see a doctor while others don't?
No. Women who see a doctor for PMS don't have worse symptoms than those who don't, but they do have higher levels of psychological problems.
Early or limited evidence 40 women in the community who identified as having PMS
What they did
Asked 40 women who identified as having PMS about their symptoms and gave them psychological assessments.
What they found
Women who visited a doctor for PMS had similar symptom levels to those who didn't, but those who visited had higher levels of psychological problems.
What it means for you
Psychological well-being, not symptom severity, may influence whether women seek medical help for PMS. The main limitation is the small sample size and that this was done in one location at one time.
40
women studied
About the study
- Original title
- Psychological correlates of medical utilization in women with premenstrual complaints
- Authors
- Patricia A. Lipscomb, Joan E. Russo, PETER PAUL VITALIANO
- Journal
- Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Year
- 1990
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 40
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.3109/01674829009084409