Cohort study, 2014
How common are PMDD, subthreshold PMDD, and PMS in adolescent girls, and how much do they affect their lives?
About 20 percent of adolescent girls reported distressing premenstrual symptoms. Roughly 6.76 percent met criteria for full PMDD and 6.2 percent met criteria for subthreshold PMDD, which is a milder form.
What they did
Researchers surveyed 984 adolescent girls in an urban area of Korea. They used questionnaires to identify girls with PMDD, subthreshold PMDD, moderate or severe PMS, or no or mild PMS. They also measured depression and anxiety levels.
What they found
63 girls (6.76 percent) had PMDD and 58 (6.2 percent) had subthreshold PMDD. Girls with subthreshold PMDD had similar symptom intensity and frequency to those with full PMDD. In the PMDD and subthreshold PMDD groups, 69 percent had moderate to severe physical symptoms. Depression and anxiety were higher in these two groups than in the PMS or no/mild PMS groups.
What it means for you
About one in five adolescent girls experiences significant premenstrual distress. The subthreshold PMDD group is as symptomatic as full PMDD and should not be overlooked. A major limitation is that this is a one-time survey; daily tracking gives more accurate diagnoses. Findings are from a Korean urban population.
984
girls surveyed
6.76%
met full PMDD criteria
20%
reported distressing symptoms
About the study
- Original title
- Survey of premenstrual symptom severity and impairment in Korean adolescents: premenstrual dysphoric disorder, subthreshold premenstrual dysphoric disorder and premenstrual syndrome
- Authors
- Yang J, Joe SH, Lee MS et al.
- Journal
- Asia-Pacific psychiatry : official journal of the Pacific Rim College of Psychiatrists
- Year
- 2014
- Study design
- Cohort study
- Participants
- 984
- What was tested
- None; cross-sectional survey
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1111/appy.12024
Topics
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