PMS a Pain for Employers, Society, Too

July 25, 2003 -- Premenstrual syndrome is not only a pain in the side for most women, but employers are also feeling the pinch. A Yale University study shows that women with PMS symptoms can have significantly reduced work productivity and more absentee days than women without PMS.

The findings are published in the July issue of the Journal of Reproductive Medicine.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a pattern of physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms that appears before a menstrual period starts and disappears soon after bleeding begins. PMS symptoms vary greatly from woman to woman, and they may range from mild to severe.

• Common physical PMS symptoms are weight gain from water retention, nausea, breast tenderness, acne, and joint or muscle pain.
• Common emotional and behavioral PMS symptoms include depression, irritability or anger , and mood swings.

In this study, researchers evaluated women with moderate to severe PMS to determine its effect on quality of life, health-care use, and performance on the job. They asked the volunteers to complete a survey and keep a daily diary for two months. The diary tracked absenteeism, PMS symptoms, emotions, and other physical symptoms.

PMS Is a Real Problem

The results showed that women with PMS are far from their normal selves. Women with PMS symptoms were at least nine times more likely to report more than one full week of impairment per month resulting in reduced productivity compared with women without them. They were also more than eight times more likely to report interference with hobbies and relationships. Women with PMS also missed more days of work for health reasons. Trips to the doctor also went up.

"Our findings show that, contrary to popular opinion, severe PMS is not trivial and deserves medical treatment," says study author Kimberly Yonkers, MD of Yale University in a news release. "Effective treatment is essential to minimizing the impact of PMS on a woman's life and the lives of those around her."

Yonkers notes in the study that not all menstruating women are impaired as a result of PMS.

There are many options for women to help keep symptoms under control and their lives in check during PMS, Yonkers says. She suggests talking to a doctor about certain birth control pills, serotonin reuptake inhibitors, over-the-counter therapies, taking vitamin B-6, magnesium, or calcium, and eating a balanced diet as possible choices.