Premenstrual syndrome: diagnosis and treatment experiences

We sought to examine the diagnosis and treatment experiences of women in the United States who reported having been diagnosed with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) by a physician. A survey of 220 women, randomly selected, ages 26-56, who subscribed to a woman's health newsletter and reported being given a diagnosis of PMS by a physician was conducted. Subjects reported (1) they sought medical help for 5.33 +/- 6.23 years before receiving a diagnosis, (2) they sought help from 3.75 +/- 3.22 physicians for PMS symptoms, (3) they thought the majority (71%) of physicians they used were not adequately informed to diagnose and treat them, (4) only a minority (23%) of physicians used a symptom chart, currently the only way to confirm a PMS diagnosis, when determining their diagnosis, and (5) only approximately 1 in 4 (26%) physicians provided them with a helpful treatment. Seventy-six percent of subjects reported that a PMS diagnosis resulted from their own suggestion, with an agreement by the physician. Eighty-one percent reported that the initial suggestion of PMS came from a non-medical source. The most commonly recommended and used treatments were vitamins, exercise, and diet modification. Current treatment satisfaction was 15.6% not very satisfied, 48.8% somewhat satisfied, and 35% very satisfied. Satisfaction was higher if natural progesterone or hysterectomy with oophorectomy was included as a treatment, although a high percentage of satisfaction was seen with several treatments. Data indicate that physicians from whom most of the women sought care between 1974 and 1994 failed to recognize, diagnose, or treat their PMS using the standards and protocols published in the medical literature.