Factors Associated with Premenstrual Symptoms: A Study among Graduate-Level Students of the Institute of Science and Technology, Tribhuvan University

Background Premenstrual Symptoms refer to the psychological, physical, and behavioral symptoms that recur during the luteal phase of menstruation, impacting the day-to-day activities of females. However, there is limited information on the prevalence and factors associated with Premenstrual Symptoms among graduate-level female students at the Institute of Science and Technology, Tribhuvan University. Methods This study employed institutional-based cross-sectional research methods. Data were gathered from all female participants of Institute of Science and Technology, Tribhuvan University and only 285 female participants fulfill the inclusion criteria. The data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire for demographic, socio-economic, behavioral and menstrual-health related factors and to measure the Premenstrual Syndrome a standard tool Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST) was used. Factors associated with PMS were analyzed using Multiple Binary Logistic Regression. Result Among the 285 respondents, 40% reported experiencing Premenstrual Symptoms. The most common physical symptoms were joint or muscle pain (56.49%), breast tenderness (45.26%), abdominal pain (44.91%), acne flare-ups (40.35%), and fatigue (35.09%). The factors such as age at menarche [OR = 0.689, 95% CI = (0.544, 0.872)], respondents with dysmenorrhea [OR = 2.032, 95% CI = (1.073, 3.847)], respondents who consume menstrual delaying medicine [OR = 11.015, 95% CI = (4.075, 29.774)] and respondents having mild stress [OR = 2.713, 95% CI = (1.174, 6.271)], moderate stress [OR = 3.934, 95% CI = (1.488, 10.399)], severe stress [OR = 19.267, 95% CI = (5.343, 69.474)] were found to be significant at a 5% level of significance with the Premenstrual Symptoms. Conclusion The factors associated with Premenstrual Symptoms are Stress, Menstrual delaying medicine, dysmenorrhea, and age at menarche of respondents. The result suggests a potential relationship between menstrual delaying medicine and PMS symptoms.