الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 123 |  |  |
| | | from | 123 | | |
Abstract
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a cyclical late luteal phase disorder of the menstrual cycle whereby the daily functioning of women is affected.
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) has a wide variety of signs and symptoms, including a combination of symptoms that are characterized by physical, behavioral, and psychological changes, which some women experience from a week before to a few days into menstruation. Symptoms tend to recur in a predictable pattern. But the physical and emotional changes with premenstrual syndrome may vary from just slightly noticeable all the way to intense.
The list of potential signs and symptoms for premenstrual syndrome is long, but most women only experience a few of these problems.
Emotional and behavioral signs and symptoms
• Tension or anxiety
• Depressed mood
• Crying spells
• Mood swings and irritability or anger
• Appetite changes and food cravings
• Trouble falling asleep (insomnia)
• Social withdrawal
• Poor concentration
• Change in libido
Physical signs and symptoms
• Joint or muscle pain
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Weight gain related to fluid retention
• Abdominal bloating
• Breast tenderness
• Acne flare-ups
• Constipation or diarrhea
For some, the physical pain and emotional stress are severe enough to affect their daily lives. Regardless of symptom severity, the signs and symptoms generally disappear within four days after the start of the menstrual period for most women.
Chemical changes in the brain include fluctuations of serotonin, a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) that’s thought to play a crucial role in mood states, could trigger PMS symptoms. Insufficient amounts of serotonin may contribute to premenstrual depression, as well as to fatigue, food cravings and sleep problems.
Furthermore, Some women with severe premenstrual syndrome have undiagnosed depression, though depression alone does not cause all of the symptoms.
Relationship of the symptoms of PMS with depression has been evaluated by many authors who remarked on the high rates of depressive symptoms such as low mood, fatigue, and sleep.
The aim of the current study was to evaluate the severity of premenstrual syndrome among female university students, the relationship between premenstrual syndrome and major depressive disorders, the predictors of depression among university students with PMS and predictors of severity of premenstrual syndrome.
It was hypothesized that there is a relationship between premenstrual syndrome and major depressive disorder and these might be a correlation between the severity of PMS and major depressive disorder.
This is a cross-sectional study, carried out on 146 female students from Benha. The study started on the 1st of February 2021 which is the beginning of the second semester of the academic year and continued till the end of September 2022. The study was carried out on female students from four faculties of Banha University (Medicine, Science, Arts and commerce).
The studied students were represented from different studying years; the participants were randomly chosen conveniently from the faculty halls and tutorial rooms. Those who agreed to participate were interviewed to check if they met the inclusion criteria. The interview was carried in the library of each faculty.
Inclusion criteria:
1- Adult female student registered at the university for the current academic year.
2- Regular menstrual periods (at least in the last three consecutive months).
3- Aged above 18 years.
Exclusion criteria:
1- Age younger than 18 years .
2- Having a history of psychiatric disorder.
3- Pregnant.
4- With known history of chronic illnesses.
5- Has irregular menstrual cycles.
All participants were assessed by
1- Semi structured clinical interview.
2- Physical and mental state examination to exclude physical and mental comorbiditeis.
3- Premenstrual Syndrome Scale.
4- Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
The present study showed that on the PMSS 2.1% showed minimal symptoms, while 15.1% showed mild symptoms, while 72.6% showed moderate symptoms and 10.3% showed severe symptoms. As regard PMSS physical symptoms scores in the present study, the highest scores were in muscle and joint followed by breast tenderness, generalized pain and headache. While evaluating the PMSS psychological symptoms scores, the highest scores were in anxiety followed by mood swings, depression and sleep changes. Moreover, the highest scores regarding PMSS behavioral symptoms scores were impaired work performance
Regarding the major depressive disorder among the females in the current study, it revealed that Beck depression inventory of 52.05% showed a minimal degree and 23.97% showed a mild degree, 16.44% showed a moderate degree and 7.53% showed a severe degree.
This study showed that the higher grades of Beck Depression Inventory show significant relation with higher grades of PMS (p<0.001), while it was recorded that the age is a significant predictor of severe PMS according to PMSS (OR: 5.03, P <0.00).
Finally, it is recommended that further research is needed to estimate the prevalence of PMS in the female university students and to estimate the correlation between PMS and other psychiatric disorders. Research on the comorbidity of PMS and different psychiatric disorders are also needed.