---
title: What PMS symptoms do teenage girls experience? | Niyora
description: In teenage girls aged 16-18, headache is the most common physical PMS symptom (39%) and irritability is the most common mood symptom (46%).
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-premenstrual-syndrome-in-adolescents-1996/
---

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- What PMS symptoms do teenage girls experience?

Study, 1996

# What PMS symptoms do teenage girls experience?

In teenage girls aged 16-18, headache is the most common physical PMS symptom (39%) and irritability is the most common mood symptom (46%).

 Moderate study design

186 girls aged 16-18 years

## What they did

186 girls aged 16-18 were monitored for one year and four months. Researchers tracked the frequency, severity, and timing of different PMS symptoms. The study also looked at how age at first period and smoking affected PMS.

## What they found

The most common physical symptom was headache in 39% of the girls. The most common psychological symptom was irritability in 46% of the girls. The study examined how the age of first menstruation and cigarette smoking influenced PMS symptoms.

## What it means for you

Headache and irritability are the primary PMS symptoms in teenagers. Teens and their parents should recognize these as possible PMS symptoms rather than blaming them on other causes. One limitation is that we don't know if these rates are similar in adult women or how they might change as girls get older.

186

girls studied

39%

with headache as most common physical symptom

46%

with irritability as most common psychological symptom

## About the study

Original title [The premenstrual syndrome in adolescents] Authors Kolarov G, Sirakov M, Bŭrdarova I et al. Journal Akusherstvo i ginekologiia Year 1996 Study design Study Participants 186 What was tested Tracking of PMS symptoms across menstrual cycles Read the paper [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9254555/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9254555/)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/)

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