Firstborn adolescent daughters and mothers with and without premenstrual syndrome: A comparison

Abstract

Firstborn adolescent daughters and their mothers with and without premenstrual syndrome (PMS) were evaluated for two menstrual cycles in order to compare menstrual, postmenstrual (follicular), and premenstrual (luteal) symptomatology. Physical and psychological symptoms were evaluated according to the Premenstrual Assessment Form (PAF) and the Utah PMS Calendar II. The onset of the luteal phase was defined as the day of the midcycle surge of luteinizing hormone (LH), determined by utilizing the CUE Ovulation Predicter. The PAF showed that 1) irrespective of diagnosis, severity of symptoms was not significantly different between adolescents and adults; however, 2) when daughters and mothers were grouped according to mother's diagnosis, the PMS mother/daughter dyads experienced significantly more premenstrual symptoms when compared to the non-PMS mother/daughter dyads. Furthermore, the PMS Calendar revealed menstrual cycle phase delineation. There were no significant differences in severity of symptoms between adults and adolescents during the postmenstrual (follicular) phase and the premenstrual (luteal) phase. However, the adolescents experienced significantly more symptoms during the menstrual phase than the adults. 1) There were no significant differences in severity of adolescents' menstrual symptoms and their premenstrual (luteal) symptoms; 2) the number and severity of luteal phase symptoms were significantly greater for the women with PMS and their daughters than women without PMS and their daughters.