73.6% of Women Experience Monthly Premenstrual Syndrome

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a disorder of the woman's menstrual cycle consists of a series of physical symptoms, psychological and behavioral affects "more or less" to 73.6% of women, according to results of the first prevalence record made in Spain.

Daphne team, formed by a group of experts in gynecology, this condition ensures that there are references for more than 2,500 years, but despite this, there is no universally accepted definition of this problem or know the extent of their symptoms.

From the scientific point of view, the international classification of diseases includes it in the category of gynecological conditions in its mild form and in its most severe form called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), within psychological illnesses, but there are no criteria globally accepted diagnostic and general description of the symptoms is very specific.

Over 70% of women experience PMS symptoms

Given this situation, the team raised Daphne completion of the first study to know the real impact of this syndrome using criteria based on measurement of Steiner (Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool - PSST) and giving rise to the first record statistically significant and representative of the Spanish population. The sample includes data of 2,108 women of childbearing age and the results have been published in the journal The European Journal of Obstetrics and Ginecology.

According to this study, the associated symptoms affect more or less to 73.72% of women and of these, 9% have what is called moderate or severe PMS, for its significant impact on the daily lives of women .

1.5% of these women also met criteria for being listed in the premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which is having a major impact on the health and quality of life of women.

In both cases, the symptoms takes an average of about three days a month and respondents acknowledge that affects their family relationships in 7.1% of cases, in social life at 5.6% and leads to a loss interest at work in 6% of cases.

73.6% of women experience monthly premenstrual syndrome (PMS)

About 80 PMS symptoms described

Of the 80 symptoms (40 physical and 40 psychological) described in the SPM, the most frequently collected in the study were the physical symptoms (81.6%) breast, muscles, headaches, weight gain and water retention.

These are followed by irritability (58%), lack of energy (53%), desire to mourn (48.7%) and anxiety (40.5%). Self-assessment of the severity of each symptom was mild to moderate in over 80% of women, and severe in 10% of cases.

Despite this impact on social and personal life of women, these symptoms usually is assumed to be normal. In fact, even in the most severe forms of the disease up to 75% of women do not consult their doctor because they consider it normal, private or for not thinking that could be solved.

Of those attending, according to the survey, the most widely used to relieve these symptoms are hormonal contraceptives in 57% of cases, followed by pain in 53.3% and natural home remedies or 4.1% of cases.