Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-mwx4w Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-20T11:06:38.943Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The inter-relationship of premenstrual symptoms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

M. Mira ,
S. Abraham ,
D. McNeil ,
J. Vizzard ,
P. Macaskill ,
I. Fraser  and
D. Llewellyn-Jones
M. Mira
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Sydney; Department of Statistics, Macquarie University, NSW, Australia
S. Abraham*
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Sydney; Department of Statistics, Macquarie University, NSW, Australia
D. McNeil
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Sydney; Department of Statistics, Macquarie University, NSW, Australia
J. Vizzard
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Sydney; Department of Statistics, Macquarie University, NSW, Australia
P. Macaskill
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Sydney; Department of Statistics, Macquarie University, NSW, Australia
I. Fraser
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Sydney; Department of Statistics, Macquarie University, NSW, Australia
D. Llewellyn-Jones
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Sydney; Department of Statistics, Macquarie University, NSW, Australia
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr Suzanne Abraham, Department of Obstetrìcs and Gynaecology, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Synopsis

The prospective symptom reports of women seeking treatment for premenstrual symptoms and control subjects were investigated. In order to compare symptom reports from premenstrual symptom sufferers and control subjects a method of combining and analysing prospectively collected menstrual cycle symptom data is required. A technique that uses the time of onset of menses and the time of ovulation (as measured by urinary luteinizing hormone excretion) to standardize each cycle into 14 time points was developed. Summary factors were then empirically derived from data collected prospectively from 30 premenstrual symptom sufferers and 19 control subjects. Twenty-two mood symptoms were summarized into a single factor and the 29 most frequently occurring physical symptoms were summarized into two factors. Factor scores were calculated on the basis of these factors and the effect of time during the menstrual cycle on these scores examined. Both physical symptom factor scores increased significantly in the luteal phase for both the premenstrual symptom sufferer group and the control group. The single mood factor score increased significantly in the luteal phase for the premenstrual symptom sufferer group but not for the control group, suggesting that the only qualitative difference between the groups was the presence of cyclic mood symptoms in the premenstrual symptom sufferer group. The premenstrual symptom sufferer group recorded significantly higher scores on each of the three factors than the control group. The correlation between the scores on each of the factors over three cycles was high both in the follicular and luteal phase suggesting that these factor scores provide a reproducible measure of menstrual cycle symptomatology.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 25 , Issue 5 , September 1995 , pp. 947 - 955
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abraham, G. E. (1980). Premenstrual tension. Current Problems in Obstetrics and Gynecology 3, 1–39.Google Scholar
Bancroft, J. (1993). The Premenstrual Syndrome – A Reappraisal of the Concept and the Evidence. Psychological Medicine Monograph Supplement 24. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.Google Scholar
Bancroft, J. & Backstrom, T. (1985). Premenstrual syndrome. Clinical Endocrinology 22, 313–336.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beumont, P. J. V., Richards, D. H. & Gelder, M. G. (1975). A study of minor psychiatric and physical symptoms during the menstrual cycle. British Journal Psychiatry 126, 431–434.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beumont, P. J. V., Abraham, S. F., Argall, W. J. & Simpson, K. G. (1978). A prospective study of premenstrual tension symptoms in healthy young Australians. Australian New Zealand Journal Psychiatry 12, 241–244.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Clare, A. W. (1981). Psychiatric and Social Aspects of Premenstrual Complaint. Psychological Medicine, Monograph Supplement 4. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.Google Scholar
Collins, W. P., Branch, C. M. & Collins, P. O. & Sallam, H. N. (1981). Biochemical indices of the fertile period in women. International Journal of Fertility 26, 196–202.Google ScholarPubMed
Dixon, J. W. (ed.) (1983). BMDP Statistical Software (1983 Revised Printing). University of California Press: Los Angeles.Google Scholar
Doty, R. L. (1979). A procedure for combining menstrual cycle data. Journal Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 48, 912–918.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eckerd, M. B., Hurt, S. W. & Severino, S. K. (1989). Late luteal phase dysphoric disorder: relationship to personality disorders. Journal of Personality Disorders 4, 338–344.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eysenck, H. J. & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1975). Manual of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Hodder and Stoughton: Sevenoaks, Kent.Google Scholar
Gallant, S. J., Popiel, D. A., Hoffman, D. M., Chakraborty, P. K. & Hamilton, J. A. (1992). Using daily ratings to confirm premenstrual syndrome late luteal phase dysphoric disorder. Part 1, Effects of demand characteristics and expectations. Psychosomatic Medicine 54, 149–166.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hammarback, S., Backstrom, T. & MacGibbon-Taylor, B. (1989). Diagnosis of premenstrual tension syndrome: description and evaluation of a procedure for diagnosis and differential diagnosis. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology 10, 25–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hurt, S. W., Schnurr, P. P., Severino, S. K., Freeman, E. W., Gise, L. H., Rivera-Tovar, A. & Steege, J. F. (1992). Late luteal phase dysphoric disorder in 670 women evaluated for premenstrual complaints. American Journal of Psychiatry 149, 525–530.Google ScholarPubMed
Janowski, D. S. & Rausch, J. (1985). Biochemical hypotheses of premenstrual tension syndrome. Psychological Medicine 15, 3–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Magos, A. L. & Studd, J. W. W. (1986). Assessment of menstrual cycle symptoms by trend analysis. American Journal Obstetrics and Gynecology 155, 271–277.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Menkes, D. B., Taghavi, E., Mason, P. A., Spears, G. F. & Howard, R. C. (1992). Fluoxetine treatment of severe premenstrual syndrome. British Medical Journal 305, 347–367.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Moos, R. H. (1968). The development of a menstrual distress questionnaire. Psychosomatic Medicine 30, 853–867.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Moos, R. H., Kopell, B. S., Melges, F. R., Yalom, I. D., Lunde, D. T., Clayton, R. B. & Hamburg, D. A. (1968). Fluctuations in symptoms and moods during the menstrual cycle. Journal of Psychosomatic Research 13, 37–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parlee, M. B. (1974). Stereotypic beliefs about menstruation: a methodological note on the Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire and some new data. Psychosomatic Medicine 36, 230–241.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reid, R. L. (1985). Premenstrual syndrome. Current Problems in Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Fertility 8, 5–37.Google Scholar
Rubinow, D. R., Roy-Byrne, P., Hoban, C., Gold, P. W. & Post, R. M. (1984). Prospective assessment of menstrually related mood disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry 141, 684–686.Google ScholarPubMed
Sampson, G. A. & Jenner, F. A. (1977). Studies of daily recordings from the Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire. British Journal of Psychiatry 130, 265–271.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sanders, D., Warner, P., Backstrom, T. & Bancroft, J. (1983). Mood, sexuality, hormones and the menstrual cycle. I. Changes in mood and physical state: description of sujects and method. Psychosomatic Medicine 45, 487–501.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Silbergeld, S., Brast, N. & Noble, E. (1971). The menstrual cycle: a double blind study of symptoms, mood and behaviour, and biochemical variables using Enovid and placebo. Psychosomatic Medicine 33, 411–428.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Slade, P. (1984). Premenstrual emotional changes in normal women: fact or fiction. Journal of Psychosomatic Research 28, 1–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Steiner, M., Haskett, R. F. & Carroll, B. J. (1980). Premenstrual tension syndrome: the develpoment of research diagnostic criteria and new rating scales. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavia 62, 177–190.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, J. W. (1978). The timing of menstruation related symptoms assessed by a daily symptom rating scale. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavia 60, 87–105.CrossRefGoogle Scholar