Finally! Research accepts PMS as a 'key public health issue globally' which interferes with women's lives

There, it's been said premenstrual mood swings and anxiety are "key public health issue(s) globally".

Premenstrual symptoms are reported by more than 64 per cent of women globally during each menstrual cycle, reports IANS quoting a recent study.

28.61 per cent of women reported that premenstrual symptoms interfered with their daily activities every time they had a period, and another 34.84 per cent claimed that this happened sometimes.

Watch |Spain: First European country to offer paid menstrual leave

Food cravings (85.28 per cent), mood changes or anxiety (64.18 per cent), and weariness (57.3 per cent) were the most frequently reported symptoms.

Jennifer L. Payne, director of the Reproductive Psychiatry Research Programme at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and one of the study's authors, said "our demonstrates that premenstrual mood symptoms are incredibly common worldwide."

"More importantly," she noted, "a majority of women reported that their premenstrual symptoms interfered with their everyday life at least some of the time."

According to the researchers, "premenstrual mood symptoms are a key public health issue globally" because at least 61 per cent of women in all age categories reported experiencing mood-related symptoms every menstrual cycle.

More than 238,000 survey responses from women ages 18 to 55 from 140 countries were analysed for the study, which was published in the Archives of Women's Mental Health.

The data was taken from an app called 'Flo' which assists women in tracking their menstrual cycle as well as their emotional and physical symptoms both during and after pregnancy.

Researchers have expressed hope that increasing healthcare practitioners' awareness of how frequently these symptoms—particularly anxiety and mood-related symptoms—occur, will help women avail better care.

"Increasing awareness of how common these symptoms are, and that if they impact functioning that there are treatments available, will help women improve their quality of life."

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE