• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.314-321
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• 2002

Women with the premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) report increased cravings for certain foods and altered taste preferences ding the premenstrual period. The objective of the present study was to investigate the association of PMDD with luteal phase food cravings, appetite, and taste preferences in 1,078 nurses. Among the 626 nurses who gave valid responses, the prevalence of PMDD and premenstrual syndrome (PMS) was 4.6% (N = 29) and 78.3% (N = 490), respectively. A highly significant increase was observed in the preference for sweet tasting foods during the luteal phase, compared to the follicular phase. Desire for sweet foods during the premenstrual period was significantly different among the three groups, being highest in the PMDD group, lower in the PMS group, and lowest in women with no symptoms. Both the PMDD and PMS groups showed significant increases in preferences for pungent tasting foods during the luteal phase. A repeated measures of analysis of variance on the taste preference data revealed that the desire for sweet tasting foods was significantly greater than for others such as salty, sour, and pungent tastes. A greater proportion of the subjects in the PMDD and PMS groups reported an increase in their total food intake during the luteal phase, compared to those women without premenstrual symptoms. Compared to the PMS group or the women with no symptoms, the PMDD group reported increased intakes of high carbohydrate foods during the luteal phase. The most commonly reported food cravings were for sauteed spicy rice cakes (ddukbokki), or for cold buckwheat noodles mixed in chili pepper sauce. These results indicate that the luteal phase food cravings, appetite and taste preferences change in accordance with the severity of the premenstrual symptoms.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.108-115
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• 2006

Objectives : Objectives of this study was to explore the relationships between anger, alexithymia and premenstrual syndrome(PMS). Methods The subjects included 125 women with PMS and 58 women with non-PMS assessed by Daily record of Severity of Problems(DRSP) and Shortened Premestrual Assessment Form(SPAE). Anger level was assessed by anger expression scale. The level of alexithymia was assessed by Toronto alexithymia scale. We compared the scores of anger, alexithymia between PMS group and no-PMS group. Results : The mean scores of anger in(p=0.04), anger total(p=0.01) were significantly higher in women with PMS compared to control subjects. and the mean scores of alexithymia(p=0.04) were also significantly higher in women with PMS compared to control subjects. Conclusions : This study showed that the level of anger and alexithymia could be higher in women with PMS compared to control subjects, and that symptoms of PMS could be associated with anger and alexithymia. therefore, It would be better to consider the level of anger and alexithymia in treating and evaluating women with PMS.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.103-115
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• 1999

Objectives : A large of studies have found an association between premenstrual syndrome and affective disorder, in particular, depression. Some studies have reported that women with depressive disorders may experience menstrual cycle-associated changes in the severity of their symptoms. This study was designed to compare the characteristics of premenstrual changes between control group and affective patient group, and to assess possible risk factors for premenstrual changes in patients. Methods : Eighty normal controls and eighty outpatients given maintenance therapy with fixed dose for at least more than four weeks were asked to complete questionnaires on menstrual history, obstetric-gynecological history, and functional impairment. In addition, to compare the characteristics of premenstrual changes, 16 items based on DSM-IV criteria A for premenstrual dysphoric disorder were rated on the following scale : 0(no change), 1(mild), 2(moderate), 3(severe). Moderate or severe change in each item was considered as premenstrual change and the subjects who reported more than one premenstrual change were defined as premenstrual change group. Results : The results were as follows : 1) The percentage of premenstrual change group was 32.6% in patient group and 50% in control group. 2) Frequently reported premenstrual changes were as follows in control group : breast tenderness; anger ; affective liability ; lethargy, easy fatigability, or marked lack of energy ; abdominal pain or discomfort. In patients, the mood or behavioral changes were frequently reported. The changes were as follows : lethargy, easy fatigability, or marked lack of energy ; change in appetite; affective liability ; sense of difficulty in concentrating : hypersomnia or insomnia. 3) In the premenstrual change group, the patients with only mood or behavioral changes were significantly more than those with only physical changes or both changes. 4) The severity of functional impairment was significantly correlated with the frequency of mood or behavioral changes in patients. 5) There were no significant differences in menstrual characteristics between patients with premenstrual changes and patients without them except the severity of dysmenorrhea. And the severity of dysmenorrhea was correlated with the frequency of premenstrual change. Conclusion : The proportion of patients with affective disorder, who reported moderate-to-severe premenstrual changes, experiencing mood or behavioral changes larger than those experiencing physical changes during premenstrual period. It is possible that some patients with affective disorder, who reported premenstrual mood or behavioral changes, suffer from coexisting premenstrual syndrome with affective disorder or premenstrual exacerbation of affective disorder. Since the more premenstrual changes, the severer functional impairment, the patients reporting mood or behavioral disturbance in premenstrual period should be carefully evaluated, and appropriate therapeutic stategies might be considered.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.22-31
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• 2012

Objectives : We investigated the prevalence and functional impairment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and premenstrual syndrome(PMS) in young women. Methods : A total of 1063 female college students were recruited from two urban areas(Seoul and Suwon) of Korea. Questionnaires for sociodemographic data and risk factors of PMDD, attitude about menstruation, and the Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool(PSST) were applied. Results : The prevalence of severe moderate to severe PMS and PMDD were 16.9% and 11.7%, respectively. There were differences in the alcohol and coffee consumption, severity of menstrual cramp, and family history of PMS among the moderate to severe PMS, PMDD, and no/mild PMS groups. Although some participants did not fulfill diagnostic criteria for PMDD, they showed significant functional impairment. Participants with negative attitude about menstruation reported premenstrual symptoms more frequently than those with positive or ambivalent attitude about menstruation. Conclusion : These results suggest that PMS and PMDD were prevalent and associated with functional impairment in young females. Some participants reported significant functional impairments although they did not meet the full DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for PMDD. Negative attitude about menstruation was associated with more premenstrual symptoms experiences.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.61-71
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• 1999

Objective : The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between the premenstrual changes and stress perception in women with premenstrual changes($PMC^+$)(n=32) and those without premenstrual changes($PMC^-$)(n=62) by using prospective method. Method : The women who were older than 30 years of age and healthy were asked to complete a daily rating form based on DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for one menstrual cycle to assess the changes of psychological and physical symptoms across the menstrual cycle. They also completed 5-point likert scale to assess the perception of stress. Percent changes method was used to assess changes between follicular phase and luteal phase. Results : 1) No significant differences were found in demographic factors(age, education, marriage, employment) and risk factors(onset ages of menarche, regularities of premenstrual changes, duration of menstruation, cycle length, amount of menstruation, dysmenorrhea) between women with and without premenstrual changes. 2) There was a significant difference in mean luteal phase stress score between women with($1.92\pm0.63$) and without premenstrual changes($1.51\pm0.42$)(p<0.05). However no difference was found in mean follicular phase stress score between two groups($PMC^+$ : $1.67\pm0.43$, $PMC^-$ : $1.33\pm0.39$). 3) We divided women having premenstrual changes into two groups, higher stress group(stress score > 1.75(median)) and the lower stress group(stress score <1.75(median)). The higher stress group reported more luteal psychological symptoms than did the lower stress group(df=1, F=13.362, p<0.001). However, the groups did not differ in physical symptoms. Conclusion : In women with premenstrual changes, luteal stress score was higher than follicular stress score and this result suggested tha the perception of stress was related to psychological symptoms but not physical symptoms. These findings suggested that premenstrual change is associated with the stress level, and that it is important to manage the stress which is focused on the management of psychological symptom in the treamtment of prementrual syndrome.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.112-119
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• 2008

Objectives : Premenstrual syndrome(PMS) is known to occur in more than 80% of reproductive women. Since PMS is closely related to changes in sex hormones, biological factors are suspected to be associated with the syndrome, but there have been no consistent reports regarding biological causes. In that sense, it is postulated that the occurrence of PMS is much dependent on the biological aspects, but that the severity or characteristics of the syndrome is more dependent on the psychological factors. Studies focusing on psychological factors are based on the theory that symptoms of PMS and previous psychologically traumatic events are closely related. If the theory is valid, it can be further postulated that symptom severity of PMS is associated with dissociative symptoms, since traumatic events are known to be related to dissociative symptoms. In this study, we tried to find out the association of PMS symptom severity with previous abuse history and dissociative symptoms. Methods : Subjects for the study were 377 nurses working in Seoul, Kyung-gi, and Kyung-book. 183 subjects who submitted valid data entered the study. The presence and the symptom severity of PMS were rated using Daily Records of Severity of Problems(DRSP) and Shortened Premenstrual Assessment Form(SPAF). Dissociative symptoms were evaluated with Dissociation Experience Scale Korean version(DES-K). Previous physical/verbal abuse, sexual abuse, and parental spouse abuse experience were rated with correspondent abuse scales. Results : Subjects were divided into 3 groups as No PMS group, mild to moderate PMS group, and severe PMS group according to SPAF total score. There was a statistically significant difference in DES-K total score among 3 groups($x^2=14.966$, df=2, p=0.001). Physical/verbal abuse scale($x^2=14.397$, df=2, p=0.001), sexual abuse scale($x^2=8.376$, df=2, p=0.015), and parental spouse abuse scale($x^2=9.322$, df=2, p=0.009) also revealed a significant difference among 3 groups. Symptom severity of PMS using SPAF total score showed a positive correlation both with degree of dissociative experience and previous abuse experience. There was a statistically significant difference in both dissociative experience and previous abuse experience among 3 groups. Conclusion : These results show that there can be a possible association among PMS symptoms, dissociative symptoms, and previous psychologically traumatic experience.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.253-260
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• 2001

이 연구의 목적은 월경주기에 따른 동통역치와 미각역치의 변화를 평가하고자 하는 것이다. 안면부에 동통성 질환이 없고 정상 월경 주기를 가진 건강한 20대 여성 11명이 이 연구에 참여하였다. 2회의 연속적인 월경주기 동안, 월경기(menstrual phase), 여포기(follicular phase), 황체기(luteal phase)의 세 시기에서 압력통각역치, 전기미각역치, NaCl 미각역치를 각각 측정하였다. 각 역치를 월경주기의 시기별로 비교 분석하여 다음과 같은 결과를 얻었다. 압력통각역치와 전기미각역치는 월경주기의 시기에 따라 유의한 차이를 나타내었고, 황체기에서 월경기에서와 비교하여 통계적으로 유의하게 높은 역치를 나타내었다. NaCl 미각역치는 월경주기에서 통계적으로 유의한 변화를 나타내지 않았다.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.233-240
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to make a comparison in perceived stressor and psychopathology among premenstrual, menstrual and postmenstrual phases, in high school girls. Three hundred forty-one high school girls(164 academic school girls, 177 art school girls) participated in this study. Global assessment of recent stress(GARS) scale and symptom checklist-90-revised(SCL-90R) were used to measure perceived stressors and psychopathology. The scores of perceived stressor relevant to change in relationships were significantly higher during the premenstrual and the postmenstrual phases than during the menstrual phase. However, no significant differences were found in psychopathology among three mentstrual phases. Scores of perceived stressor relevant to change or no change in routine were significantly higher in academic school girls than in art school girls. The scores of obsessive-compulsion subscale and positive symptom total were significantly higher in academic school girls than in art school girls. In conclusion, a perceived stressor was higher during the premenstrual and the postmenstrual phases than during the menstrual phase in adolescents, but psychopathology was not related to the menstrual cycle. These results indicated that the psychopathology in adolescent girls might be influenced by other factors than menstrual cycle.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.21-36
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• 1996

This study was attempted to investigate reliability and validity of premenstrual assessment form(PAF). PAF was administered to 230 high school students who had reported premenstrual changes. PAF revealed considerable diversity in premenstrual symtom changes of the subjects. The items with most frequent reported premenstrual changes were 21 items out of 95. Cronbach's internal consistency was .95, and test-retest reliability was .80. Validity test was performed by constructional validation analysis. 8 factors(impulsive & unstable factor, depressive factor, withdrawal & social functioning impairment factor, anxiety & cognitive dysfunction factor, physiological factor, general discomfort factor, increased well-being factor, other factor) emerged at factor analysis. Each of them accounted for 33.97, 5.10, 3.70, 2.93, 2.64, 2.46, 2.12, 2.03 of total variance respectively. High school students experienced impulsive & unstable features of premenstrual symptoms more frequently. This study suggests PAF can be a reliable and valid tool as a initial screening and evaluation of premenstrual changes. finally, factor analysis result was compared with PAF typological categories.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.57-65
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• 2015

Objectives:Within the normal reproductive cycles of women, dramatic fluctuations of sexual hormones occur in the premenstrual and menopausal periods. In both periods, women are vulnerable to mood disturbances and show several somatic complaints. Based on these common clinical profiles and physiological changes, a relationship between vasomotor symptoms and the premenstrual syndrome has been suggested. However, attempts to establish such a link have yielded inconclusive results. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between histories of premenstrual syndrome and menopausal vasomotor symptoms within different menopausal stages. Methods:This cross-sectional study recruited Korean women aged 45-64 years who were perimenopausal and postmenopausal from 16 branch offices of the Korean Association of Health Promotion. All subjects completed self-report questionnaires that asked about a history of premenstrual syndromes, vasomotor symptoms, and several other variables. Results:A total of 1054 participants(361 perimenopausal women and 693 postmenopausal women) completed the study. Severity of premenstrual symptoms significantly correlated with postmenopausal vasomotor symptoms, only in late perimenopausal(r=0.213, p=0.010) and early postmenopausal women(r=0.246, p<0.001). After adjusting for several factors related to vasomotor symptoms, a history of premenstrual syndrome was a significant predictor of moderate to very severe vasomotor symptoms in late perimenopausal(OR=5.197, p=0.005) and early postmenopausal women(OR=3.017, p=0.010). Conclusions:This study suggests that a history of premenstrual syndrome/premenstrual dysphoric disorder is differentially associated with vasomotor symptoms in the menopausal stage. Prospective studies with larger population are needed to confirm these findings