Frequency, intensity and impact of premenstrual syndrome in medical students.

OBJECTIVE To determine the frequency and severity of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) in medical college students, evaluate the impact of the condition on the quality of life and find out the associated risk factors. STUDY DESIGN An observational study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY Isra University Hospital, Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan, from August to December 2006. METHODOLOGY Unmarried medical students aged 18-25 years with regular menstrual period for the last 06 months were recruited by convenience sampling. PMS-related data was collected on daily record of severity of problems (DRSP) for two prospective cycles. Health-related quality of life data was collected on medical outcome study Short Form 36 (Sf - 36) after taking informed consent from participants. Descriptive and inferential analysis was done by two-tailed t-test and multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS Study participants (n=172) had mean age of 21.2 + 1.9 years. Eighty-nine (51%) girls met the criteria for PMS recording to ICD - 10, among them, 53 (59.5%) had mild PMS, 26 (29.2%) had moderate and 10 (11.2%) had severe PMS. Ten (5.8%) girls were found to have Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) according to DSM - IV criteria. The order of frequency of symptoms were anger, irritability, anxiety, tiredness, difficult concentration, mood swings and physical symptoms like breast tenderness and general body discomfort with great impairment in social life / activities and work efficiency/productivity. Dysmenorrhea (p=0.003) and family history of premenstrual syndrome (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with premenstrual syndrome on univariate and multivariate analysis. Sf - 36 score on Mental Component Summary (MCS) and Physical Component Summary (PCS) were significantly lower in the affected group. CONCLUSION Premenstrual syndrome is a common problem in young girls which adversely affects their educational performance and emotional well-being. Strategies should be adopted for detection and management of PMS in young girls.