Premenstrual syndrome prevalence and fluctuation over time: results from a French population-based survey.

Abstract Objectives: To explore the experience of reproductive-age women in the French population with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) by estimating perceived symptom prevalence, identifying risk factors, and quantifying the burden of symptoms. This study also assesses the stability of the PMS diagnosis over a 1-year period of follow-up. Methods: The prevalence of reported PMS was estimated from a population-based cohort of 2863 French women interviewed in 2003 and 2004. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify risk factors associated with PMS. PMS fluctuation was studied by comparing women's responses in 2003 and 2004. Results: Results show that 4.1% of women qualified for severe PMS (six symptoms) and 8.1% qualified for moderate PMS (one to five symptoms), resulting in 12.2% of women who reported PMS symptoms that impacted their daily lives. Risk factors for PMS fell into three categories: hormonal, psychosocial, and physiological, with life stressors and exogenous hormonal exposure exerting ...