The Prevalence of Premenstrual Syndrome and Its Influential Factors in Operating Room Technologists

Background & Aims: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is considered to be a common abnormality in the women of the reproductive age, which reduces efficiency in various professional groups. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of PMS and its influential factors in the operating room technologists. Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 112 operating room technologists in the teaching hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences during 2016-2017. The participants were selected via census sampling. Data were collected using three questionnaires of demographic characteristics, PMS symptom screening, and occupational stress. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 23 using descriptive and inferential statistics (Fisher's exact test and Chi-Square). Results: Approximately 57.1% of the operating room technologists had moderate-to-severe PMS. No significant correlations were observed between age, body mass index, education level, physical exercise, and regular exercise with PMS. However, there were significant correlations between PMS, type of physical exercise (P=0.027), and occupational stress (P=0.005). Conclusion: According to the results, PMS had a lower prevalence in the technologists with less occupational stress and those with physical exercise (especially endurance training) comparatively. Therefore, it is recommended that training interventions be implemented in order to reduce occupational stress and encourage physical exercise in these healthcare professionals.