Prevalence and severity of premenstrual symptoms among Iranian female university students

To investigate the frequency of premenstrual symptoms and prevalence of PMS among young Iranian women.

A cross-sectional study was carried out in 2005 among female students of Zahedan University (Iran), aged 18-27 years. Overall 300 participants were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire assessing premenstrual symptoms. The items of the questionnaire were derived from DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for premenstrual dysphoric disorder and PMS symptoms reported in existing literature.

Of the 300 participants, 98.2% reported at least one mild to severe premenstrual symptom and 16% met the criteria of DSM-IV for PMS. Most common symptoms were feeling of tiredness or lethargy (84%), depressed mood (72.3%), sudden feeling of sadness or tearfulness (70.3%), anxiety (70%), backache (69%) and sleep problems (66%). There was no significant difference in severity of symptoms based on marital status and living conditions (living with parents or away from parents), but severity of symptoms were significantly higher for the younger women (18-20 years) compared to the older women (21-24 and 25-27 years).

High frequency of premenstrual symptoms and significant prevalence of PMS was found in our study sample. Preventive and treatment strategies for PMS is highly recommended.