Background: Premenstrual syndrome is a cyclic disorder affecting young and middle aged women. It is characterized by a wide array of physical and psychological symptoms. Women with PMS and PMDD experience at least one physical and one psychological symptom a few days prior to the onset of menses for at least three consecutive cycles PMDD is the severe form of PMS.
Objectives: To determine the prevalence of PMS and PMDD amongst female medical students at CUHAS as well as to determine the characteristics of females with PMS amongst female medical students at CUHAS.
Methods: This was a prospective cross sectional study where participants was required to fill in semi structured questionnaires. From participant responses, they were categorized as having no premenstrual symptoms, those having premenstrual symptoms, those having PMS and those having PMDD. Categorization was made using criteria developed by the University of San Diego and adopted by ACOG. DSM V criteria for the diagnosis of PMDD was also be used. Data will be entered into SPSS version 20 and analyzed. Results for categorical variables were displayed using percentages, frequency and proportions. Graphs, charts and other diagrammatic representations were also used in displaying results.
Results: Prevalence of PMS and PMDD was found to be 49.6% and 4.8% respectively. The prevalence of PMS and PMDD is high among female medical students who use alcohol, those who smoke and those who use oral contraceptives.80.4% of female medical students at CUHAS experienced premenstrual symptoms, with the most common symptom being abdominal pain. Setting-specific interventions and innovations are critical to reduce prevalence of PMS and PMDD given the observed differences between different factors. The campaign messages to increase education should be tailored to women and younger people aged less than 21years. Knowledge-based interventions should enhance the understanding of the available methods and how they work, their advantages.