Menstrual Abnormalities Among Adolescent Females Attending a Tertiary Care Hospital in North India

Background: To study the menstrual abnormalities among adolescent females attending a gynaecolocial outpatient department (OPD) in a tertiary care hospital. Material & Methods: It was a cross sectional study which was carried at outpatient department (OPD) of obstetrics and gynaecology, Government medical college Srinagar over a period of 6 months. A total of 90 adolescent females in the age group 10-19 years were included in the study. Along with the demographic profile, menstrual abnormalities were evaluated with the help of self-structured questionnaire. Results: The mean age of the study population was 15.6 ± 2.8 years. Majority of the adolescent females were in the age group of 16-19 years (44.4%), literate with formal education above 10th class (37.8%) and from rural background (56.7%).Dysmenorrhea was the most common menstrual morbidity in 64.4% of adolescent females followed by menorrhagia (26.7%). Pain abdomen was the most common premenstrual symptom encountered by 62.2% of females. Conclusion: Menstrual abnormalities are common in the adolescent females with dysmenorrhea being the commonest.

Comparative study of brainstem auditory evoked responses in females having premenstrual symptoms with normal population

Background: Premenstrual symptoms (PMS) have largely been ignored, because ages so present study are done in females specifically having PMS comparing with females with no PMS. Very little work has been done in past in this field, because females revealing menstrual history are a big taboo in our society. Aim and Objective: The aim of this study was to study brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) in females having premenstrual symptoms and comparing it with females having no premenstrual symptoms. Materials and Methods: BAEP was conducted on 60 females age group of 18–40 years in two groups in Research laboratory, Department of Physiology, Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College in collaboration with SVBP Hospital, Meerut for 6 months. The subjects were divided into two groups, Group A having premenstrual symptoms and Group B having no premenstrual symptoms. The test was conducted in later part of luteal phase 23rd–25th day of menstrual cycle. The absolute latencies (ALs) and interpeak latencies (IPLs) were the parameters measured for the analysis of BAEP. Results: IPL, that is, interpeak latencies I–III and III–V in age group 18–25 years, showed statistically significant decrease in luteal phase in females having premenstrual syndrome (PMS) as compared to normal cycling females. Conclusion: Premenstrual symptoms females are showing few significant changes in auditory responses at mid brain level as recorded by BAEP study which can be due to the modulatory effect of female gonadal hormones progesterone and estrogen on neurotransmitters (serotonin, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and glutamate) in central nervous system.

A study on premenstrual syndrome symptoms and their association with sleep quality in nursing staff

Background: Symptoms in the premenstrual period can be debilitating and troublesome and impacts the general health of women. There is a dearth of studies examining the relationship between sleep quality and premenstrual symptoms in women, especially in Indian settings. The current study was conducted with the aim of looking at the frequency of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in different age groups and the association of these symptoms with sleep quality in nursing staff.Methods: The cross-sectional study involved 450 female nursing staff between 25- 50 years of age from various tertiary care hospitals who were administered the Premenstrual Tension Syndrome Rating Scale (PMTS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The data was then statistically analyzed.Results: The prevalence of premenstrual symptoms was found to be 85.6% amongst the participants (according to the ACOG criteria), while the proportion of females suffering from PMS (according to DSM IVTR criteria) was 36.5%. A correlation analysis between total scores of PMTS and PSQI showed a positive, linear and significant association.Conclusions: The intensity of PMS was associated with reduction in sleep quality in present study. Further studies on PMS and sleep related parameters need to carry out in larger samples to give impetus to our findings.

Predictors of Suicide Ideations in Adolescents

Background and Objectives: Adolescence is a crucial phase of one’s life, given the physical andpsychological changes that occur during this phase. Number of adolescent suicides are on rise and a largenumber of adolescents report higher suicidal ideations during this phase. Suicide ideation involves thoughtsand cognitions about suicidal behavior. It involves thoughts related to desire, intent or method of committingsuicide. Research on suicide ideation has established strong links between depression and hopelessness withsuicidal thoughts and tendencies. Depressed adolescents are reported to be highly vulnerable to developsuicide ideations. In addition to depression and hopelessness, familial variables like support from parentsand emotional bonding with them is detrimental to such outcomes like suicide ideation. The present studythus aims to find depression, hopelessness, emotional autonomy and hardiness as predictors of suicideideation in adolescents.Methods: A sample of 400 adolescents (242 = Females and 158 = Males) in the age group of 15 – 22 (MeanAge = 18.36 years) years was taken. Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Hopelessness Scale, Personal ViewsSurvey, Emotional Autonomy Scale and Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation were used to collect the data. Thedata so obtained for the predictor variables was first factor analysed so as to obtain independent factors.Results: Results revealed single factor with high factor loadings on all the four predictor variables. The factorscores from this factor were further used in linear regression in order to predict suicide ideation inadolescents. Regression analysis revealed that the factor was a significant predictor of suicide ideation. Theobtained results have been elucidated.Conclusion: There is a very high prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among interns working inMaharashtra which needs to be effectively dealt with on an urgent basis. The strong association of theprevalence of psychological illnesses with many factors and stressors faced by them will help us highlightthe contributory factors and suggest strategies to deal with them effectively at a personal, institutional andnational level.

Validation of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST) and association of PSST scores with health-related quality of life

Objective: To develop and validate a Brazilian Portuguese version of the Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST), a questionnaire used for the screening of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and of the most severe form of PMS, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). The PSST also rates the impact of premenstrual symptoms on daily activities. Methods: A consecutive sample of 801 women aged ≥ 18 years completed the study protocol. The internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and content validity of the Brazilian PSST were determined. The independent association of a positive screen for PMS or PMDD and quality of life determined by the World Health Organization Quality of Life instrument-Abbreviated version (WHOQOL-Bref) was also assessed. Results: Of 801 participants, 132 (16.5%) had a positive screening for PMDD. The Brazilian PSST had adequate internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.91) and test-retest reliability. The PSST also had adequate convergent/discriminant validity, without redundancy. Content validity ratio and content validity index were 0.61 and 0.94 respectively. Finally, a positive screen for PMS/PMDD was associated with worse WHOQOL-Bref scores. Conclusions: These findings suggest that PSST is a reliable and valid instrument to screen for PMS/PMDD in Brazilian women.

Premenstrual Syndrome - A Monthly Menace.

Most women feel some discomfort before or during their periods, but if the discomfort is of such a severity that starts interfering with some aspects of life: The diagnosis of premenstrual syndrome or tension (PMS or PMT) should be considered. About 80- 95% of females of childbearing age have some premenstrual symptoms. PMS affects upto 30% of women with regular menstrual cycles. Some women (about 3-8% of menstruating women) have a more severe and disabling form of PMS having a psychiatric designation called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). The etiology of PMS remains unknown and may be complex and multifactorial, but hormones, neurotransmitters and genetic factors have a role to play. Behavioral symptoms along with physical symptoms should be present to establish a diagnosis. Certain lifestyle changes and dietary modifications along with a number of drug options can improve the quality-of-life of a patient of PMS upto a considerable extent.