P-180: Prevalence of Premenstrual Syndrome in Female Medical and Dental Students of Guilan University of Medical Sciences

Background: Majority of women experience PMS syndrome, but they may not be aware of the condition. The number of studies on prevalence, origin and management of PMS has increased dramatically. In the last two decades these studies have indicated that PMS is a disabling disease in women. This study was performed to estimate prevalence of PMS in medical and dental students and their own awareness of the suffering. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 320 students were selected by convenient sampling. APA (American Psychological Academia) used for diagnosis of PMS. Questionnaires were given to the selected students to be completed for 3 consecutive months. Each questionnaire included academic year, age and awareness of their own suffering from PMS. The questionnaires were collected after 3 months and data were analyzed by using SPSS.14. Results: From total number of students, 280 (87.5%) had some degree of PMS. From 252 medical students 222 (88.1%) and from 68 mental students, 58 (85.3%) were suffering from PMS. 39.3% of cases had minor, 53.6% moderate and 7.1% severe PMS. Most common symptoms included irritability, cramp and nervousness. Students who had PMS reported at least 3 symptoms in 3 cycles of mense. The mean time and standard deviation of the PMS course was 10 ± 2.72 which started for 2 weeks prior to mense period and finished in 3 days after mense. Only 29 out of 280 students who had PMS (10.35%) were aware of their own suffering. Conclusion: In spite of high prevalence of PMS among medical and dental students of Guilan university of medical sciences, their awareness of the condition was very low, indicating special need for providing information to all women in general and emphasizing on PMS in medical education.