Epidemiology of premenstrual symptoms in a nonclinical sample. I. Prevalence, natural history and help-seeking behavior.
A stratified sample of 996 nursing school graduates from 1963 to 1984 was surveyed by mail regarding menstrual cycle characteristics. The 730 respondents reported an 87% overall lifetime prevalence of premenstrual symptoms. When the symptoms were categorized according to severity, only 3.2% of the respondents reported severe symptoms. Symptomatic women used diet change (24.6%), exercise (41.8%) and vitamins (18.9%) as self-help measures. Seventeen percent sought advice from a physician. Drug use was common; 22% were using a drug for symptoms at the time of the survey. Despite the common use of treatment, few women reported a significant work impairment. These findings support the conclusion that premenstrual symptoms are common but do not usually interfere with functioning.
Johnson
S R
SR
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Iowa, College of Medicine, Iowa City.
McChesney
C
C
Bean
J A
JA
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011293:Premenstrual Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*