Study, 1991
What does the Premenstrual Assessment Form tell us about PMS symptoms?
The form helped separate women with PMS from those without, but there was considerable overlap in scores between groups. Fewer than 7% of women with PMS had scores clearly different from the typical range.
What they did
Researchers tested the Premenstrual Assessment Form in 109 women who had been tracked daily and confirmed to have premenstrual symptoms. They compared the results to a comparison group of women without complaints.
What they found
Fewer than 7% of women with PMS complaints scored in the normal range. When the researchers looked at the pattern of responses, they found three main symptom patterns: physical and mood changes, anxiety and mood swings, and increased well-being.
What it means for you
The form can identify some women with PMS, but most women with and without PMS have overlapping scores. The three symptom patterns match what doctors see in practice, but further research is needed to confirm whether these are truly separate types of PMS.
109
women studied
fewer than 7%
with PMS had scores in typical range
3
main symptom patterns found
About the study
- Original title
- Towards a definition of PMS.II: A factor analytic evaluation of premenstrual change in women with symptomatic premenstrual change
- Authors
- Cumming DC, Cumming CE, Krausher RJ et al.
- Journal
- Journal of psychosomatic research
- Year
- 1991
- Study design
- Study
- Participants
- 109
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(91)90122-5