PREMENSTRUAL DYSPHONIC DISORDER A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY ON PREVALENCE AND AWARENESS AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS
Main Article Content
Keywords
PMDD, prevalence, awareness, medical students, Pakistan
Abstract
Background: Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), is a severe form of premenstrual syndrome that significantly affects women’s mental and physical health. Despite being recognized in the DSM-5, it remains underdiagnosed, especially in South Asia.
Objective: To determine the prevalence of PMDD and access awareness levels among medical and dental students.
Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from January to June 2023 among 173 medical and dental students in Lahore, using a structured questionnaire. Female students were assessed with the Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST). Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were applied using SPSS v26.
Findings: Among 173 participants, 165 were female (mean age 21.45 ± 1.42 years). Only 12 females (7.27%) met PMDD criteria, while 125 (75.7%) had some premenstrual symptoms. Awareness was significantly higher among females than males (p < 0.05), with 74.5% of females versus 30.4% of males reporting prior knowledge of PMDD.
Conclusion: PMDD prevalence among female students was 7.27%, but awareness gaps remain, particularly among male peers. Integrating reproductive health education into medical curricula and encouraging early screening may improve recognition and management.
References
2. Schroll JB, Lauritsen MP. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder: A controversial new diagnosis. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. 2022 Apr 21;101(5):482.
3. Kissow J, Jacobsen KJ, Gunnarsson TP, Jessen S, Hostrup M. Effects of follicular and luteal phase-based menstrual cycle resistance training on muscle strength and mass. Sports Medicine. 2022 Dec;52(12):2813-9.
4. López-Castro T, Brandt L, Anthonipillai NJ, Espinosa A, Melara R. Experiences, impacts and mental health functioning during a COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown: Data from a diverse New York City sample of college students. PloS one. 2021 Apr 7;16(4):e0249768.
5. Vannuccini S, Jain V, Critchley H, Petraglia F. From menarche to menopause, heavy menstrual bleeding is the underrated compass in reproductive health. Fertility and sterility. 2022 Oct 1;118(4):625-36.
6. Itriyeva K. Premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder in adolescents. Current problems in pediatric and adolescent health care. 2022 May 1;52(5):101187.
7. Eisenlohr-Moul TA, Kaiser G, Weise C, Schmalenberger KM, Kiesner J, Ditzen B, Kleinstäuber M. Are there temporal subtypes of premenstrual dysphoric disorder?: using group-based trajectory modeling to identify individual differences in symptom change. Psychological medicine. 2020 Apr;50(6):964-72.
8. Loukzadeh Z, Eslamy N, Dehghan M, Mehrparvar AH. The impact of premenstrual disorders on work disruptions among working women: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Reproductive BioMedicine. 2024 Mar 25;22(2):149.
9. Osborn E, Wittkowski A, Brooks J, Briggs PE, O’Brien PS. Women’s experiences of receiving a diagnosis of premenstrual dysphoric disorder: a qualitative investigation. BMC women's health. 2020 Dec;20:1-5.
10. Prasad D, Wollenhaupt-Aguiar B, Kidd KN, de Azevedo Cardoso T, Frey BN. Suicidal risk in women with premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Women's Health. 2021 Dec 1;30(12):1693-707.
11. Yan H, Ding Y, Guo W. Suicidality in patients with premenstrual dysphoric disorder–a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of affective disorders. 2021 Dec 1;295:339-46.
12. Roy N, Imran SM, Siddiky A, Sultana S, Mahmud S, Rashid R, ALmerab MM, Mamun MA. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder and its co-existence with depression, anxiety, and stress as risk factors for suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among university students in Bangladesh: A single-site survey. PloS one. 2025 Apr 1;20(4):e0321097.
13. Trabert B, Sherman ME, Kannan N, Stanczyk FZ. Progesterone and breast cancer. Endocrine reviews. 2020 Apr;41(2):320-44.
14. Carlini SV, Deligiannidis KM. Evidence-based treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder: a concise review. The Journal of clinical psychiatry. 2020 Feb 4;81(2):6789.
15. Lee JH, Choi YS. The role of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists in female fertility preservation. Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine. 2021 Feb 18;48(1):11.
16. Osborn E, Brooks J, O’Brien PM, Wittkowski A. Suicidality in women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: a systematic literature review. Archives of women's mental health. 2021 Apr;24:173-84.
17. Chekol AT, Reta Y, Ayinewa F, Hailu L, Tesema M, Wale MA. Determinants of premenstrual dysphoric disorder and associated factors among regular undergraduate students at Hawassa University Southern, Ethiopia, 2023: institution-based cross-sectional study. BMC public health. 2024 May 23;24(1):1390.
18. Thakrar P, Bhukar K, Oswal R. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder: Prevalence, quality of life and disability due to illness among medical and paramedical students. Journal of Affective Disorders Reports. 2021 Apr 1;4:100112.
19. Aldejain BA, Almoghrabi DM, Alrashoud JA, Almutairi JA, Alissa MM, Alshehri RF, Alhuail ST, Alarifi ST, Dahlawi H, Fayed A. Awareness, Prevalence, and Coping Measures of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder Among Female University Students in Riyadh. Saudi Medical Horizons Journal. 2025 Jan 4;5(1):32-41.
20. Izah SC, Sylva L, Hait M. Cronbach's alpha: A cornerstone in ensuring reliability and validity in environmental health assessment. ES Energy & Environment. 2023 Dec 17;23:1057.
21. Pacitti F, Iorio C, Riccobono G, Iannitelli A, Pompili A. Assessment of premenstrual symptoms: validation of the Italian version of the Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool. Rivista di Psichiatria. 2021 Sep 1;56(5):246-53.
22. Retallick-Brown H, Blampied N, Rucklidge JJ. A pilot randomized treatment-controlled trial comparing vitamin B6 with broad-spectrum micronutrients for premenstrual syndrome. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2020 Feb 1;26(2):88-97.
23. Aldejain BA, Almoghrabi DM, Alrashoud JA, Almutairi JA, Alissa MM, Alshehri RF, Alhuail ST, Alarifi ST, Dahlawi H, Fayed A. Awareness, Prevalence, and Coping Measures of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder Among Female University Students in Riyadh. Saudi Medical Horizons Journal. 2025 Jan 4;5(1):32-41.
24. Reilly TJ, Patel S, Unachukwu IC, Knox CL, Wilson CA, Craig MC, Schmalenberger KM, Eisenlohr-Moul TA, Cullen AE. The prevalence of premenstrual dysphoric disorder: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2024 Mar 15;349:534-40.
25. Osborn E, Wittkowski A, Brooks J, Briggs PE, O’Brien PS. Women’s experiences of receiving a diagnosis of premenstrual dysphoric disorder: a qualitative investigation. BMC women's health. 2020 Dec;20:1-5.
26. Reilly TJ, Patel S, Unachukwu IC, Knox CL, Wilson CA, Craig MC, Schmalenberger KM, Eisenlohr-Moul TA, Cullen AE. The prevalence of premenstrual dysphoric disorder: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2024 Mar 15;349:534-40.
Article Sidebar
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All articles published in JPTCP are licensed under Copyright Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Amna Javed
Assistant Professor, Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department, Al Aleem Medical College, Lahore.
Nusrat Lakho
Associate Professor, Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department, Al-Tibri Medical College, Isra University, Karachi Campus
Zunaira Musheer
Demonstrator, Pharmacology Department, Rashid Latif Khan University Medical College, Lahore
Dr Neelam Raheel
Associate Professor, Community Medicine Department, Rashid Latif Medical College, Lahore
Nida Asif
Biostatistician, Rashid Latif Medical College, Lahore
Muhammad Nadeem
Assistant Director Research, Rashid Latif Medical College, Lahore