Premenstrual syndrome: Prevalence, symptoms, and associated risk factors among adolescent girls in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a collection of physical, cognitive, affective, and behavioral cyclically occurring symptoms during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle which resolves later. The study aims to find the prevalence and symptoms of PMS and risk factors associated with it among school-going adolescent girls in Aligarh. A total of 422 girls (Class 6th to 12th) were taken by systematic random sampling with probability proportionate to size. 37.7% (159) of the girls reported PMS with abdominal bloating (35.2%) as the most common somatic symptom and social withdrawal (69.2%) as the most common effective symptom. The multivariable analysis showed that occurrences of PMS were significantly associated with age, adjusted odds ratio (AOR) (95% confidence interval [CI]): 2.19 (1.22–3.93); education status of participants, AOR (95% CI): 2.97 (1.37–6.45); mothers who are graduate and above, AOR (95% CI): 2.59 (1.40–4.77); working mothers, AOR (95% CI): 1.81 (1.04–3.14); long menstrual cycle (>35 days), AOR (95% CI): 0.40 (0.19–0.85); and irregular cycle, AOR (95% CI): 2.83 (1.48–5.38). Cox and Snell R2 was 0.2 and Nagelkerke R2 was 0.3.

Keywords

• adolescent girls
• menstrual cycle
• premenstrual syndrome