Relationship between Premenstrual Syndrome and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder and Eating Disorders

Abstract

Background: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a periodic disorder of the menstrual cycle, and its most severe form is premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which occurs as a complex disorder. Eating disorder is also a type of eating behavior disorder with complications. Considering the high prevalence of PMS, and consequently, PMDD in society and the negative impact that inappropriate eating behaviors and eating disorders have on individuals’ quality of life, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between moderate to severe PMS and PMDD and eating behaviors and eating disorders. Methods: This descriptive- analytical study was conducted on 290 female students of Babol University of Medical Sciences in 2022. Eligible individuals completed demographic questioners, premenstrual symptoms screening tool (PSST), three-factor eating questionnaire reduced 18 (TFEQ-R18), and 26-item eating attitudes test (EAT-26). The data were analyzed using SPSS at significance level of 0.05. Results: Totally, 162 participants (55.86%) had moderate to severe PMS symptoms, of whom 47 (16.21% of all girls and 29.01% of PMS girls) also reported dysmenorrhea. Mean scores for eating disorders (Mild PMS: 6.18±5.29, moderate or severe PMS: 8.49±7.75, PMDD: 9.66±7.89), emotional eating (no or mild PMS: 6.05±2.50, moderate or severe PMS: 6.70±2.90, PMDD: 7.17±3.14) and uncontrolled eating (Mild PMS: 19.30±5.26, moderate or severe PMS: 20.73±5.22, PMDD: 22.15±6.40) increased with increasing PMS severity. After controlling for other predictors, participants with an overweight and those in the PMDD group exhibited significantly higher mean emotional eating scores compared to the non-PMS group. Conclusion: The present study showed that emotional eating was significantly associated with PMDD symptoms in overweight individuals