Prevalence of Premenstrual Syndrome Levels and Its Management Among Female Students of Medical and Non-Medical Colleges in Riyadh.

Maryam Muhammad Ali Majeed-Saidan,Kayan Kaaki,Nourah Alkharraz,Shaik Shaffi Ahamed,Noura Altawil,Sara Alenezy

doi:10.7759/cureus.11595

Abstract

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study is to measure the prevalence of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), its management, and its possible association with depression, anxiety, and stress among female medical and non-medical students.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted at King Khalid University Hospital and King Saud University Female Campus. A self-administered questionnaire following the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) criteria was used to measure levels of PMS. It also included the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) to measure depression, anxiety, and stress. The inclusion criteria were: females of reproductive age who had menstrual cycles for two consecutive months. Meanwhile, the exclusion criteria included gynecological or psychological problems, pregnancy, and the use of oral contraceptive pills. Of the 513 responses, 414 met the above criteria and were used in the study. An analysis was done using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS, version. 21.0, IBM Armonk, NY). To compare the mean values of quantitative variables, the student’s t-test for independent samples was used. Accordingly, Pearson’s correlation quantified the linear relationship between the two quantitative variables.ResultsThe majority of female students have a moderate level of PMS, and only 8% have severe PMS. Notably, 8.9% of the students have moderate anxiety while 1.7% and 0.7% have severe and extremely severe anxiety, respectively. Moreover, 11.8% and 3.4% of the students have moderate depression and stress, respectively, whereas 1.7% have severe depression. The results show a positive correlation between PMS and anxiety, depression, and stress. Depression and stress scores vary significantly between medical and non-medical students.ConclusionPremenstrual syndrome is a prevalent issue among females, and it can negatively affect their health. There is a need to study PMS thoroughly to optimize and guide its management for further improving women’s health.

Highlights

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is defined as the presence of physical, behavioral, and mood symptoms that arise in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, resolve after menstruation, and have an effect on women’s daily life [1,2]
The results show a positive correlation between PMS and anxiety, depression, and stress
This study measured the prevalence of PMS and its various levels, examined the methods used in its management, and investigated its correlation with anxiety, depression, and stress

Summary

Introduction

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is defined as the presence of physical, behavioral, and mood symptoms that arise in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, resolve after menstruation, and have an effect on women’s daily life [1,2]. Another study defines PMS as reverent episodes of physical and psychological signs and symptoms that occur in the luteal phase; these disappear over the onset of periodic hemorrhage [3]. PMS is quite a prevalent issue among women all over the world and is yet underestimated. It varies in severity among women, ranging from mild to severe [3,4]. Ozlem et al summed the prevalence of PMS from different Turkish studies to be between 5% and 79% [5]. PMS can negatively affect women’s lives, both physically and psychologically. Since PMS is widely experienced in females [8], its management varies with different approaches to symptom relief, ranging from home remedies and hot drinks to

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion