Department of Child Sciences, Faculty of Child Sciences, Osaka Shoin Women's University & Major in Human Dietetics, Graduate Division of Human Science, Osaka Shoin Women's University Graduate School
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) presents a variety of symptoms appearing during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, and many women experience PMS symptoms. Although PMS is widely recognized, the etiology remains unclear and it lacks definitive, universally accepted diagnostic criteria. While most epidemiological studies of PMS is performed in Western women, few surveys have been conducted in Japanese women. This study was carried out to investigate the prevalence of premenstrual syndromes in Japanese young women. We used the "The Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST) " for the screening of PMS and PMDD. Five hundred and fifty-four Japanese college students between the ages of 18 and 22 yrs were assessed regarding their premenstrual symptoms using the PSSI. The rates of prevalence of moderate to severe PMS and PMDD in Japanese college students were 20.4 and 4.0%, respectively, which are almost equal to those in Western women.