Towards a definition of PMS: a factor analytic evaluation of premenstrual change in non-complaining women

Symptomatic premenstrual change remains enigmatic and much disputed. To establish baselines in a non-complaining population, we administered the Premenstrual Assessment Form (PAF) to 133 volunteers not seeking or using treatment for premenstrual symptoms. The PAF, a 95-item self report questionnaire, provides categorical, bipolar and quantitative data on a wide range of premenstrual symptoms. Only 27 women (20.3%) failed to meet criteria for at least one of the negative PAF syndromes suggesting that the criteria are lax for clinical investigative purposes. Most common syndromes were minor and major depressive syndromes (87, 65%) with atypical and hostile subtypes most common, general physical discomfort syndrome (82, 61.7%) and fluid retention syndrome (71, 53.4%). Factor analysis was used with the quantitative data to group symptoms. The analysis suggested three factors: a physiological depression (depression with physical change), an anxiety-volatility, and an increased well-being unrelated to other changes. The clearer delineation of premenstrual changes in non-complaining women will define the control group in research with premenstrually symptomatic complainers.