title: Premenstrual syndrome in Turkish medical students and their quality of life.
abstract: This study aimed to analyse the frequency and symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and its effect on quality of life in medical students. Sociodemographic data, a symptom calendar for the following consecutive two menstrual periods and SF-36 quality of life questionnaire were collected. A total of 228 students joined the survey. The average age of the students was 20.77 ± 1.90. The frequency of PMS was 91.8%. The most frequent symptoms were abdominal bloating (89.5%), irritability (88.3%) and breast tenderness (82.6%). Quality of life scores ranged from 17.00 to 97.00 and were lowest in the severe PMS group. Alcohol consumption, stress events and fat rich diets increased the severity of PMS. Family history significantly affected the severity of PMS and quality of life scores. Premenstrual syndrome was found to be a frequent entity among medical students and seemed to affect quality of life in a moderate way.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Celal Bayar University Manisa , Turkey.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goker
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Artunc-Ulkumen
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aktenk
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ikiz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011293:Premenstrual Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D013337:Students, Medical; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Medical student; SF-36; premenstrual syndrome; quality of life