---
title: How common are menstrual cycle problems and PMS or PMDD in female athletes?
description: Menstrual cycle problems are common in female athletes, with dysmenorrhoea affecting about 32%. More athletes report symptoms during their period than in the
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-prevalence-of-menstrual-cycle-disorders-and-menstrual-cycle-related-symptoms-2023/
---

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- How common are menstrual cycle problems and PMS or PMDD in female athletes?

Systematic review, 2023

# How common are menstrual cycle problems and PMS or PMDD in female athletes?

Menstrual cycle problems are common in female athletes, with dysmenorrhoea affecting about 32%. More athletes report symptoms during their period than in the days before.

 Strong study design

6,380 female athletes not using hormonal contraceptives from 60 studies

## What they did

Systematic review of 60 studies including 6,380 female athletes who were not using hormonal contraceptives. Researchers examined how common different menstrual cycle disorders and related symptoms are. Most studies assessed symptoms through self-report questionnaires.

## What they found

Dysmenorrhoea (severe period pain) was the most prevalent menstrual disorder at 32.3%, ranging from 7.8% to 85.6% across studies. A wide range of prevalence was seen for all types of menstrual cycle disorders. Affective symptoms (mood symptoms) appeared more common than physical symptoms during the premenstrual phase. More athletes reported symptoms during initial days of menstruation compared to the premenstrual phase. Most studies were graded as moderate quality.

## What it means for you

Menstrual problems are common in female athletes and deserve attention. Limited data exist on some conditions like anovulation and luteal phase deficiency. Most evidence comes from asking athletes to report their symptoms rather than medical testing.

6,380

athletes studied

60

studies reviewed

32.3%

dysmenorrhoea prevalence

## About the study

Original title The Prevalence of Menstrual Cycle Disorders and Menstrual Cycle-Related Symptoms in Female Athletes: A Systematic Literature Review Authors Taim BC, Ó Catháin C, Renard M et al. Journal Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) Year 2023 Study design Systematic review What was tested None - prevalence study examining how common conditions are Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1007/s40279-023-01871-8](https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-023-01871-8)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Oral contraceptives and drospirenone](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormonal-contraceptives/)[Athletes and sport](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-athletes/)

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

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Review, 2015

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Systematic review, 2012

What medications work best for PMDD?

Review, 2009

What causes PMDD and what are the treatment options?

Randomised trial, 2008

Does drospirenone with ethinyl estradiol birth control help PMDD?

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