Date of Award

Spring 5-2025

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree Name

Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS)

Department

Physician Assistant Studies

First Advisor

Carr, Kristen

Keywords

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, PMDD, depression screening

Abstract

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is characterized by identifiable psychological and physical symptoms that are present in the week before menses and is estimated to affect 3-8% of women of reproductive age globally. The identification of women who meet criteria for PMDD is important both clinically, to provide proper support and treatment, and for advancing research by identifying appropriate study participants. This literature review aims to investigate the efficacy of current and prospective tools to screen for symptoms of PMDD by comparing a common depression screening tool, the PHQ-9, to tools that enhance menstrual cycle awareness. A literature review was conducted using the electronic databases PubMed, Google Scholar, and PsychInfo. Keywords and MeSH terms used included PMDD, screening, diagnosis, PSST, DRSP, menstrual app, and patient health questionnaire. Ten studies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed for this review. The findings of this literature review suggest that while the PHQ- 9 may be a sufficient screening tool for identifying severe symptoms of PMDD, it would need be administered both in the luteal phase and in the follicular phase to accurately identify cyclical patterns of mood changes. Menstrual cycle awareness through use of the PSST or other validated retrospective tools more specifically assesses for luteal phase symptoms and is thus more effective at identifying women who meet criteria for PMDD. With either the PHQ-9 or retrospective reporting of premenstrual symptoms, a daily record of symptoms kept for at least two menstrual cycles is a necessary next step for the final diagnosis of PMDD and this can be effectively supplemented with apps such as Flo to increase menstrual health literacy and improve communication with providers around identified symptoms and patterns.

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