Premenstrual syndrome, also called PMS, includes both emotional and physical signs and symptoms. It affects a woman for a week or two before the start of her menstrual period. Symptoms go away shortly after her period starts. About 75 percent of women have PMS at some time before menopause. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder, also called PMDD, is a more severe form of PMS, affecting about 3 to 6 percent of women. PMDD can interfere with daily life and make it hard for a woman to maintain relationships. Women who have had major depression are more likely than others to have PMDD. PMS and PMDD share the same physical signs and symptoms. The mood symptoms of PMDD, however, predominate and are more severe than those of PMS. PMS and PMDD cannot be diagnosed by blood tests or other laboratory tests. Instead, health care providers rely on a woman’s record of both mood and physical symptoms over two or three menstrual cycles, and when they occur in relation to her period.
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Løbo et al. (2010) studied this question.