PREMENSTRUAL SYMPTOMS AMONG THAI WOMEN

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence and severity of premenstrual symptoms (PMS) among Thai women. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was carried out among Thai women who. lived in Bangkok, aged 18-45 years. One hundred subjects were asked to complete a questionnaire assessing premenstrual symptoms. The criteria of American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) were used to diagnose premenstrual symptoms. The Women's Health Assessment Questionnaire (WHAQ) was used to evaluate the premenstrual symptoms and severity. The scoring system of severity from absent to strong is 0-4. RESULTS: The mean age of subjects was 26.8 years. Of the 100 subjects, 58% were diagnosed with PMS by using ACOG criteria. According to WHAQ six categories, during the premenstrual phase, the mean score of negative effect category was 4.5+/-4.2. The mean score of water retention category was 2.9+/-2.4 and impaired concentration category was 3.7+/-2.1. The three additional categories which are increased appetite, feeling of well being, and undesirable hair change had mean score of 1.3+/-0.9, 1.6+/-0.9 and 0.2+/-0.1 respectively. The severity of symptoms was negative affect followed by impaired concentration and water retention. CONCLUSION: High prevalence of premenstrual symptoms was found among Thai women in this study sample. The negative effect was the leading severity of PMS. Education, prevention and appropriate management for PMS are highly recommended to improve quality of life among reproductive age women.