The researchers concluded that because at least 61% of women in all age groups reported experiencing mood-related symptoms every menstrual cycle, "premenstrual mood symptoms represent an important public health issue internationally."
In a recent survey, more than 64% of women worldwide report experiencing premenstrual symptoms at some point during each menstrual cycle, according to IANS.
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.”
Premenstrual symptoms reportedly interfered with everyday activities for 28.61% of women every time they had a period, and for another 34.84% of women occasionally. The most frequently reported symptoms were hunger (85.28%), anxiety or mood swings (64.18%), and exhaustion (57.3%).
The researchers concluded that because at least 61% of women in all age groups reported experiencing mood-related symptoms every menstrual cycle, “premenstrual mood symptoms represent an important public health issue internationally.” The study, which was released in the Archives of Women’s Mental Health, involved the analysis of more than 238,000 survey responses from women ages 18 to 55 from 140 different countries.
The information was obtained from the “Flo” app, which helps women keep track of their menstrual cycle as well as their physical and mental problems both during and after pregnancy.
Researchers believe that by making healthcare professionals more aware of how frequently certain symptoms—particularly those linked to anxiety and mood—occur, women would receive better care.
Parvathy Sukumaran 
