---
title: Does stress affect PMDD symptoms in young women? | Niyora
description: Yes. Women with higher stress levels had more PMDD symptoms. Weight did not appear to affect symptoms. Stress accounted for about one-third of the differences
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-effect-of-perceived-stress-and-body-mass-index-on-premenstrual-dysphoric-2022/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- Does stress affect PMDD symptoms in young women?

Survey study, 2022

# Does stress affect PMDD symptoms in young women?

Yes. Women with higher stress levels had more PMDD symptoms. Weight did not appear to affect symptoms. Stress accounted for about one-third of the differences in how severe PMDD was.

 Early or limited evidence

210 female university students ages 18-30 in Islamabad, Pakistan

## What they did

Researchers asked 210 female university students in Pakistan (ages 18-30) about their stress levels and PMDD symptoms using online surveys. They then analyzed how stress and weight related to symptom severity.

## What they found

Higher perceived stress was linked to more PMDD symptoms. For each increase in stress level, PMDD symptoms increased by 0.58 units. Stress explained 34% of the differences in PMDD severity. Body weight showed no clear effect on symptoms.

## What it means for you

Stress appears to play a role in worsening PMDD symptoms for university women. This is a single study in one region of Pakistan, so findings may not apply everywhere. Stress explained about one-third of symptom differences, meaning other factors also matter.

210

female university students studied

34%

of PMDD severity explained by stress

0.58

PMDD increase per stress unit

## About the study

Original title The Effect of Perceived Stress and Body Mass Index on Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder among Female University Students Authors Muddsar Hameed, Mishal Fatima Journal Life and Science Year 2022 Study design Survey study Participants 210 What was tested None—observational study Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.37185/lns.1.1.227](https://doi.org/10.37185/lns.1.1.227)

## Topics

[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/)[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.

## Related studies

Survey study, 2025

Does how women cope with stress affect their PMDD symptoms?

Survey study, 2025

Are premenstrual dysphoric disorder symptoms, stress, and sleep quality linked in female nursing students?

Survey study, 2024

How common is PMDD among medical students, and is it linked to stress?

Survey study, 2024

Does stress affect the menstrual cycle in college students?

Survey study, 2023

How common are PMS and PMDD in Iranian medical students, and what factors increase risk?

Survey study, 2021

Are childhood trauma and stress linked to PMDD?

Ask AI about this page

Copy prompt

ChatGPT

↗

Claude

↗

Perplexity

↗

Google AI Mode

↗

Grok

↗