TYPOLOGY OF MENSTRUAL CYCLE SYMPTOMS

Each of 839 women rated their experience of each of 47 menstrual symptoms on a six-point scale separately for the menstrual, premenstrual, and intermenstrual phases of her most recent menstrual cycle and for her worst menstrual cycle. The 47 symptoms were intercorrelated and factor analyzed separately for each phase, and eight basically replicated clusters of symptoms emerged. These clusters were labeled pain, concentration, behavioral change, autonomic reactions, water retention, negative affect, arousal, and control. Menstrual cycle symptom profiles illustrating various types of symptomatology were constructed. The relevance of these analyses to the conceptualization and differentiated analysis of menstrual cycle symptomatology, especially to the possibility that the premenstrual syndrome might more appropriately be labeled the premenstrual syndromes, is discussed. © 1969.