Question: What Risk Factors are Associated with PMS?
Answer: The primary risk factor associated with PMS is advancing age. Surveys have found that the majority of women who seek treatment for premenstrual syndrome are over 30 years old. This does not mean that younger women do not suffer from the symptoms of PMS. Family history is often a good predictor of the probability of premenstrual syndrome; studies have found that the occurrence of PMS is twice as high among identical twins compared with fraternal twins. Although the presence of premenstrual syndrome is high among women with affective disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder, a casual relationship has not been established.
Women who have premenstrual syndrome have no significant differences in personality profile than women who have no symptoms of PMS. High levels of stress are not more likely to occur in women diagnosed with premenstrual syndrome. However, women with premenstrual syndrome often do not tolerate high stress levels as well as women without PMS. There in no relationship between PMS and cultural or socioeconomic status – although there may be a difference in the particular symptoms that occur according to cultural differences.
Reference: ACOG Practice Bulletin Number 15, 2000
