Premenstrual syndrome: severity and its impact on academic and social performance of undergraduate female students in Hayatabad, Peshawar

Introduction: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is characterized by emotional and physical symptoms that recur during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and is relieved after the start of menstruation. Objectives: To assess the severity of premenstrual syndrome and its effect on academic and social performance. The secondary objective was to describe severity of physical and psychological symptoms of PMS. Methodology: A cross-sectional, analytical study investigating PMS in undergraduate female students, aged 16-26 years from different institutions in Peshawar, Pakistan with a random sampling of 339 participants. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Inferential statistical analysis assessed the association between PMS severity and academic and social outcomes. Results: Of the total 339 participants, 200 (58.9%) met the criteria for PMS. Among them, 80 (40.0%) had mild, 77 (38.5%) moderate, and 43 (21.5%) severe PMS. PMS significantly affected academic performance, with difficulty concentrating reported by 79 (39.5%), disinterest/absent-mindedness by 62 (31.0%), and absenteeism by 18 (9.0%) students (p>0.05). Effects on social functioning included disruption of daily routine (30.5%), trouble dealing with others (27.5%), and relationships (23.5%) (p>0.05) while planning activities (27.0%) was statistically significant (p=0.024). The most frequent psychological symptoms were mood swings (91.8%), irritability (88.2%), and anger (86.4%), while fatigue (89.1%), dizziness (71.4%), and abdominal bloating (67.8%) were the common physical symptoms. Paired t-test showed positive correlation stating that academic performance(r=0.229) and social performance(r=0.422) were slightly better during non-PMS days. Conclusion: The study demonstrates an influence of PMS on the social and academic performance of female students in Hayatabad, Peshawar.