Prevalence of Premenstrual Syndrome Levels and Its Management Among Female Students of Medical and Non-Medical Colleges in Riyadh

The effects of yoga and progressive muscle relaxation exercises on premenstrual syndrome: a randomized controlled trial

In this study, university students with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) were evaluated for their responses to the practices of yoga and progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) to combat PMS, and the depression, anxiety, and stress associated with it. A total of 68 students participated in a randomized controlled trial. They were divided into four parallel groups: a yoga intervention group (n = 17), a PMR intervention group (n = 17), a yoga and PMR intervention group (n = 17), and a control group (n = 17). Data were collected between April 2022 and June 2022, from students who practiced only yoga, who practiced only PMR, and who practiced both yoga and PMR. A Personal Information Form, the PMS Scale, and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale were used as measurement tools. The yoga and yoga + PMR groups had lower scores for the PMS Scale in the posttest than the other groups (p < .05). Depression, anxiety, and stress sub-dimension mean scores were lower in the yoga, PMR + yoga, and PMR groups compared to the control group (p < .05). The results suggest that yoga and PMR interventions are beneficial non-pharmacological treatments for PMS, depression, anxiety, and stress.Clinical Registration Name, Registration Number, Registration Date: The Effects of Yoga and Progressive Muscle Relaxation Exercises on Premenstrual Syndrome, NCT05396976, April 5, 2022.

Effectiveness of computer-based stress inoculation training (SIT) counseling approach on anxiety, depression, and stress of students with premenstrual syndrome

BACKGROUND

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is a common public health issue affecting many women of reproductive age worldwide. This study has been designed to investigate of computer-based stress inoculation training (SIT) counseling approach on anxiety, depression, and stress of university students with PMS.

METHODS

A randomized trial study with two parallel arms was done from 30 October 2022 to 21 June 2023 on 100 university students aged 18 to 38 at Babol University of Medical Sciences. The participants were randomly divided into two groups intervention and control. The data collection tools included questionnaires on demographic-fertility characteristics, the Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14), the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) and Riff's Psychological Well-being Scale (RPWS). The data were assessed using chi-square, t-student, ANOVA repeated measure, and linear regression tests. A significance level of P < 0.05 was considered for the analysis.

RESULTS

The results of the study showed that the SIT interventions decreased the PMS severity and most psychological factors so in the intervention group, SIT was able to significantly reduce anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and Sheehan's disability after intervention (P < 0.001). Based on multiple linear regression analysis, the most predictors of HADS were the PSS and SDS (β = 0.285, p = 0.009 and β = 0.236, p = 0.024, respectively).

CONCLUSION

The computer-based SIT counseling approach could reduce the severity of symptoms and psychological factors in students. Therefore, SIT intervention is recommended to manage their PMS.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

IRCT20230130057274N2.

A Review and Meta-Analysis of the Prevalence and Health Impact of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Among Medical and Dental Students

Women currently comprise the majority of students graduating from medical school and face unique stressors not seen with their male counterparts. In particular, during their medical education, women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) experience symptoms of the disorder, which strongly impact both their academic and social lives. This in turn influences their academic and professional future. Although women as medical professionals, in general, are happy with their careers, awareness, and understanding on the part of medical educators will definitely be helpful to women medical students in their path to being successful medical professionals. The first objective of our current study is to find the prevalence of PCOS in medical and dental students. The second objective is to find the academic and health impacts of PCOS and what type of interventions are being adopted to relieve the symptoms. Using the keywords such as "PCOS," "medical students," and "dental students", the search engines PubMed, Embase, and Scopus were used to retrieve relevant articles published from 2020 to 2022. After removing the duplicates, 11 prospective cross-sectional studies were utilized for qualitative and quantitative analysis. The pooled prevalence of 2,206 female medical students diagnosed with PCOS was 24.7%. The students in the various studies were aware of their PCOS diagnosis and were taking therapeutic medications. The most common associated complications reported were BMI abnormalities, abnormal hair growth, and acne, along with other complications such as stress and poor academic and social life. The majority also had significant family histories of concurrent clinical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and other menstrual abnormalities. Considering the huge impact of PCOS, medical educators, policymakers, and all stakeholders should take proactive measures to accommodate students' needs and bridge the social gap. Special awareness of needed lifestyle changes should be a part of the medical education curriculum for an inclusive educational environment, as it will minimize the gender discrepancy in academic satisfaction and professional life.

Academic and Social Impact of Menstrual Disturbances in Female Medical Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background

The stressful academic schedule of medical students poses an obvious challenge to their daily lifestyle. Psychosomatic discomfort poses a significant risk for inaccurate self-medication for ameliorating menstrual complications and feeling better, thus directly impacting personal and academic wellbeing.

Objective

The impact of menstrual disturbances on academic life is not extensively explored. Therefore, the primary objective of this research was to probe the prevalence of menstrual disturbances and assess the academic and social impact. Finally, the authors provide an overview of pharmacological and other interventions students adopt to reduce clinical symptoms.

Methods

A database search was conducted from the year 2016 till September 2021 for the studies reporting the prevalence of menstrual disorders in all geographic locations of the world. Keywords used for searching databases included “menstrual disturbances” and “medical students,” “prevalence” OR “symptoms” of “Premenstrual syndrome” OR “Premenstrual dysphoric disorder” OR “Dysmenorrhea” in medical students. Prospero Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) protocols were followed. The protocol was registered in the International prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO), the Center for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York (CRD42021277962). The quality of the methodologies used in selected studies was evaluated by a modified version of Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS).

Results

Initially, 1527 articles were available. After a review, 26 papers were selected for analysis. A total of 25 citations were identified for quantitative analyses, out of which 16 studies reported Pre-menstrual syndrome, 7 reported Pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder, and 13 articles reported dysmenorrhea. The pooled prevalence of Pre-menstrual syndrome was 51.30%, Pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder was 17.7%, and dysmenorrhea was 72.70%. Most common associated lifestyle factors were stress, excessive caffeine intake and lack of exercise. Painkillers, hot packs and hot beverages were amongst the common measures taken by the students to relieve their symptoms.

Conclusions

The current situation calls for action to accommodate students' needs and bridge the social gap regarding menstrual health. Proactive measures by medical educators and stakeholders are required for an inclusive, accommodating educational environment which will minimize the gender discrepancy in academic satisfaction and professional life.

Premenstrual Syndrome and Its Impact on the Quality of Life of Female Medical Students at Bisha University, Saudi Arabia

Objective

The severity and chronicity of PMS can lead to the impairment of studies, and it can also affect relationships, activities, quality of life (QoL), and academic performance. This study aimed to determine PMS frequency and its associated factors in order to assess the quality of life (QoL) among female medical students at Bisha University, Saudi Arabia.

Methods

This study was cross-sectional and included 388 female medical students in the Faculty of Medical Applied Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine at Bisha University. The participants all filled in a self-administered questionnaire. The Premenstrual Syndrome Scale (PSS) was used based on the diagnostic and statistical criteria for PMS assessment. PMS was diagnosed after the presence of five or more severe premenstrual symptoms had been resolved following menstruation (adapted from American Psychiatric Association).

Data Analysis

The data obtained were analyzed using SPSS 25.0. A chi-square test was used to test the associations between the study variables. A logistic regression analysis technique was used to select the group of variables. Participants were asked to provide consent to participate in the study. IRB was obtained from the University of Bisha, College of Medicine.

Results

The participants were aged 19.5 ± 4.9 years, and the prevalence of PMS was 64.9%. Most of the female students were of extroverted personality types (35%). In addition, 13.4% were obese or overweight, and 19.5% of the 50% with PMS exercised regularly (p < 0.05). Menstruation significantly influenced the related quality of life subscales (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

PMS significantly influenced daily activities related to quality of life and homework. Moreover, almost half of the female students experienced the effects of menstruation in their learning environment. Therefore, among female students, the modification of risk factors should be considered a critical intervention point.