Premenstrual symptoms in young adults born preterm at very low birth weight - from the Helsinki Study of Very Low Birth Weight Adults
2011

Premenstrual Symptoms in Young Adults Born Preterm at Very Low Birth Weight

Sample size: 170 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Sanna Mustaniemi, Marika Sipola-Leppänen, Petteri Hovi, Uriel Halbreich, Marja Vääräsmäki, Katri Räikkönen, Anu-Katriina Pesonen, Kati Heinonen, Anna-Liisa Järvenpää, Johan G Eriksson, Sture Andersson, Eero Kajantie

Primary Institution: National Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland

Hypothesis

Young adult women born at very low birth weight have a higher degree of premenstrual symptoms than their peers born at term.

Conclusion

Women born at very low birth weight do not suffer from premenstrual symptoms more than those born at term.

Supporting Evidence

  • The prevalence of PMDD was 8.0% in the VLBW group and 4.2% in the controls.
  • The prevalence of PMS was 12.0% in the VLBW group and 11.6% in the controls.
  • 13.3% of VLBW participants reported that premenstrual symptoms seriously interfere with functioning.

Takeaway

This study looked at young women born very small and found they don't have more problems with premenstrual symptoms than other women.

Methodology

A cohort study comparing 75 VLBW women with 95 women born at term using a standardized retrospective questionnaire.

Potential Biases

Potential bias due to reliance on self-reported data.

Limitations

The study population was relatively small, limiting power, and relied on retrospective self-reports.

Participant Demographics

Participants included 75 women born preterm at very low birth weight and 95 control women born at term, mean age 22.5.

Statistical Information

Confidence Interval

95% CI -37.9 to 7.5%

Statistical Significance

p > 0.1

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1472-6874-11-25

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