ABSTRACT
Many women in fertile period of their lives experience some bothering mental and physical symptoms that begin around 7-10 days before menses [lutheal phase] and cease in the first days of menstrual bleeding. After presentation of the Text Revision of the Fourth version of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of psychiatric disorders [DSM-four], these symptoms already known as Pre-menstrual syndrome [PMS] were called Pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder [PMDD]. This process was associated with addition of some criteria about duration and intensity. The prevalence of PMS has been estimated to be about 40% to 70% but severe signs [PMDD] have lower prevalence. This study has evaluated the frequency of PMS and PMDD and some related factors in students of girls' high schools in Kermanshah. In this descriptive-analytic study, 800 students of girls' high schools were chosen by randomized cluster sampling. A researcher made questionnaire assessing PMS and PMDD according to DSM.IV.TR criteria as well as a demographic questionnaire were administered to participants. Data were analyzed running SPSS software -version 11.5. Frequencies of PMS and PMDD were 41.5% and 9.4% respectively. The disorder was more frequent in students older than 16 years old. Mood symptoms were the most frequent presentation, followed by physical and behavioral symptoms. There was a lower frequency of the disorder despite a higher frequency of the syndrome in students with highly educated mothers. The frequency of PMS was higher in students with positive family history.