--- title: How many women actually have PMS when carefully tracked? | Niyora description: When women remembered their symptoms from the last three cycles, 62.57% reported three or more symptoms. When carefully tracked with daily diaries, only 4.05% url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/sociodemographic-correlates-of-psychological-symptoms-of-premenstrual-syndrome-2018/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - How many women actually have PMS when carefully tracked? Survey study, 2018 # How many women actually have PMS when carefully tracked? When women remembered their symptoms from the last three cycles, 62.57% reported three or more symptoms. When carefully tracked with daily diaries, only 4.05% actually met criteria for PMS. Early or limited evidence 247 women of reproductive age in India ## What they did Researchers surveyed 247 women of reproductive age about menstrual symptoms. They first asked women to recall symptoms from previous cycles. They then tracked 155 of these women using daily diaries and proper diagnostic tools. Researchers also looked at how age, location, marital status, number of children, education, and job type related to symptoms. ## What they found When asked to remember symptoms, 155 out of 247 (62.57%) reported three or more symptoms during the later part of the menstrual cycle in the last three cycles. When carefully tracked with daily diaries, only 4.05% met PMS criteria. Among women with symptoms, 149 reported at least one psychological symptom. The most common psychological symptom was irritability, which was linked to education level, type of work, and whether women had children. Mood swings were more common in women doing mental work. ## What it means for you Memory is unreliable for diagnosing PMS. Many more women think they have PMS when asked to remember than actually have it when tracked carefully. This shows that proper daily tracking is needed to diagnose PMS. The study shows links between psychological symptoms and social factors like work type and education, but it does not show that these factors cause PMS. 62.57% Reported 3+ symptoms from memory 4.05% Met PMS criteria with daily tracking 247 Women surveyed ## About the study Original title Sociodemographic Correlates of Psychological Symptoms of Premenstrual Syndrome Authors Baljit Jassal, Rakesh Kumar, Jagminder Kaur Bajaj Journal International Journal of Medical and Dental Sciences Year 2018 Study design Survey study Participants 247 Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.18311/ijmds/2018/18912](https://doi.org/10.18311/ijmds/2018/18912) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Irritability and anger](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-irritability-anger/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/) 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. ## Related studies Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Cohort study, 2017 How common is PMS in high school students, and what symptoms and problems does it cause? Survey study, 2025 Can a plant-based supplement reduce PMS symptoms? Survey study, 2020 What attitudes do teenage girls have about premenstrual syndrome, and what affects them? Cohort study, 2025 Is there a link between premenstrual disorders and autoimmune disease? Randomised trial, 2023 Does taking sertraline when PMDD symptoms start improve how well women function? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗