Survey finds 61% are sufferers from period syndrome

Some 61 per cent of Irish women aged between 18 and 44 suffer, or have suffered, from premenstrual syndrome, and more than half of them take no action to alleviate symptoms, according to research published yesterday.

The State-wide survey questioned 1,000 women during two weeks last November on the degree of PMS they suffered and how it affected them, as well as their partners, families and colleagues.

The syndrome - formerly known as premenstrual tension - affects women in the days or weeks leading to their period. It is characterised by numerous symptoms, the most common of which are tiredness, irritability, a feeling of bloatedness and headaches.

Some 17 per cent of sufferers said their symptoms were severe, with 52 per cent describing them as moderate and 31 per cent as slight. Half of all sufferers experienced symptoms every month, with nine out of 10 suffering at least occasionally.

The survey confirms what doctors had long known, according to a medical journalist and Dublin GP, Dr Simon Mills. "PMS is a major problem for a significant number of women," he said.

The survey found PMS affected the husbands and partners of 42 per cent of sufferers, the children of 33 per cent, and the friends and family of 23 per cent. Six per cent said it affected their relationships with their colleagues. Some women said more than one of each of these groups could be affected by their PMS.

One in five said they had missed work, school or college because of the syndrome.

"The evidence is that the symptoms are multiple and in many cases debilitating," Dr Mills said. "The important thing now is finding an effective way to deal with them."

While the vast majority of sufferers said they had no coping strategies, 28 per cent said they took supplements or vitamins, 24 per cent consulted their GP, 8 per cent made changes to their diets and 7 per cent used alternative medicine.

Because of the multiplicity of symptoms, Dr Mills said he tended to advise sufferers to try remedies which would have a "blanket effect" in addressing these. He frequently advised patients to take a combination of magnesium and Vitamin B6.

Found naturally in the diet, magnesium is believed to be effective in stabilising blood sugar levels which can fluctuate more prior to menstruation. The mineral is also involved in the production of dopamine, which is thought to affect mood. Magnesium is present in foods such as soya beans, nuts, figs and wholegrain cereals.

The survey was carried out by Drury Communications in conjunction with Wassen International, manufacturer of a herbal/supplementary remedy said to alleviate PMS, Magnesium-OK.