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%).
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/
Topics
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