Prevalence of Premenstrual Syndrome and Its Effect on Academic Performance among Taibah University Student in Al Madinah

Background: Premenstrual syndrome is one of the common problems affecting female in different age groups and could affects the academic performance of students. Aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of premenstrual syndrome and determine its effect on school performance among university medical students. Material and Methods: It was a cross-sectional study done in Al-Madinah city, Saudi Arabia including all female medical students from level 2 to 5, enrolled at Taibah University. Data were collected through self-administrated questionnaire. It contains 4 main parts: socio demographic characters of the students, menstrual and premenstrual characteristics, and premenstrual syndrome scale. Results: The study included 257 students, with a response rate of 70.8%. Their age ranged between 18 and 29 years with an arithmetic mean of 21.8 years and a Standard Deviation (SD) of 1.8 years. According to the premenstrual syndrome scale score with a cut-off level of 111, the prevalence of PMS among female medical students was 65.4%. PMS was not significantly associated with students` academic performance. However, it is associated with premenstrual or menstrual pain (p<0.001), family history of premenstrual syndrome (p=0.016), dysmenorrhea (p=0.002) and severe back pain or cramps (p<0.001 and p=0.007, respectively). Conclusion: Premenstrual tension syndrome is a prevalent alarming health problem affecting a great sector of female medical University students, Taibah University, Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia. It affected the daily work of a considerable proportion of students. However, it did not impact their academic performance.