Prevalence of Premenstrual Syndrome and Associated Factors Among Female Medical Students at Nguyen Tat Thanh University

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) and analyze associated factors among female medical students at Nguyen Tat Thanh University. A descriptive cross-sectional design was employed, surveying 394 female students from the first to the final year using a validated Vietnamese-version PMS screening tool. Data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0. The findings indicated that the prevalence of moderate to severe PMS was 30.5%. The most commonly reported symptoms included: fatigue/lack of energy (85.3%), followed by anger/irritability (83.2%), moderate to severe dysmenorrhea (79.2%), and decreased interest in work/activities (76.1%). The presence of severe dysmenorrhea increased the risk of experiencing moderate/severe PMS by 3.285 times [OR: (3.285; 95) % CI: 1.269-8.506]. These results confirm that PMS is a prevalent issue among female medical students, negatively affecting their academic performance and quality of life. The implementation of mental health support and reproductive health education programs is warranted within the university environment.