Frecuencia de trastorno disfórico premenstrual en estudiantes de la carrera de medicina de la Universidad de Cuenca, Cuenca 2022-2023

Abstract

Background: Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is found in the classification of Depressive Disorders (DD) in the DSM-5, it affects about 3% to 9% of women in reproductive age, of which 24% to 32% get to experience moderate or severe symptoms. Objective: Determine the frequency of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder through the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-5, in students of the Medicine career of the University of Cuenca, during the school year 2022-2023. Methods and materials: The study is descriptive and cross-sectional. It was applied to 251 students. The gathering of information was carried out through a survey which contains sociodemographic and biological variables, with the diagnostic criteria of PMDD of the DSM-5. Results: The results show that the majority of the students are between 17 and 25 years old; they are single, and they are in the first cycles. 51.4% are from the province of Azuay, the rest of students are from different provinces of Ecuador, but live in Cuenca for study purposes. The age of menarche is between 11 and 13 years, the menstrual period lasts between 21 and 35 years, only 13.9% have a disease. 21.1% presented PMDD. The findings determined the existence of a significant association between age and the appearance of characteristic symptoms of PMDD, being a pathology that affects a large percentage of the young female population. Conclusions: Age and menarche as determinants of the presence of PMDD are risk factors that must be considered due to the problem they cause in carrying out activities.