---
title: How common is PMS in female health science students and how does it affect their academic and social life?
description: PMS affected 17.5% of students. Among those with PMS, 78.6% had concentration problems, 90.5% stopped studying, and most had poor social interactions.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-prevalence-and-effects-of-premenstrual-syndrome-among-female-health-science-2016/
---

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- How common is PMS in female health science students and how does it affect their academic and social life?

Survey study, 2016

# How common is PMS in female health science students and how does it affect their academic and social life?

PMS affected 17.5% of students. Among those with PMS, 78.6% had concentration problems, 90.5% stopped studying, and most had poor social interactions.

 Early or limited evidence

240 female health science students in Eritrea

## What they did

Cross-sectional questionnaire survey of 240 female health science students using stratified systematic random sampling and ICD-10 diagnostic criteria.

## What they found

PMS prevalence was 17.5%. Among those with PMS, 96.5% had experienced at least one premenstrual symptom. Of those with PMS, 78.6% had concentration problems, 90.5% stopped studying, 45% missed classes, 66.7% had poor family interaction, 40.5% had poor friend interaction, 83% could not do home chores, and 57.1% socially isolated themselves.

## What it means for you

Although PMS was not extremely common, it significantly disrupted academics and social life for those who had it. The study was limited to one college in one country, and the cross-sectional design means we cannot determine whether PMS caused these problems or whether other factors were involved.

17.5%

Prevalence of PMS

78.6%

With PMS who had concentration problems

90.5%

With PMS who stopped studying

## About the study

Original title The Prevalence and Effects of Premenstrual Syndrome among Female Health Science Students in Eritrea Authors Eyob Azaria Kidane, Meron Mehari, Nahom Kiros et al. Journal European Journal of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences Year 2016 Study design Survey study Participants 240 What was tested None Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.11648/j.ejcbs.20160201.11](https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ejcbs.20160201.11)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/)

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