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. 2024 Jan 31:15:1338304.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1338304. eCollection 2024.

Prevalence of premenstrual syndrome and its associated factors in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Fantahun Andualem  1 , Mamaru Melkam  1 , Girmaw Medfu Takelle  1 , Girum Nakie  1 , Techilo Tinsae  1 , Setegn Fentahun  1 , Gidey Rtbey  1 , Jemal Seid  2 , Getachew Muluye Gedef  3 , Desalegn Anmut Bitew  4 , Tilahun Nega Godana  5
Affiliations

Prevalence of premenstrual syndrome and its associated factors in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Fantahun Andualem et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Background: Clinical research and epidemiological studies have shown that many women experience physical and behavioral symptoms that begin during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and terminate around the onset of menses; this is called premenstrual syndrome. The reviews stated that the pooled prevalence of premenstrual syndrome was around 50 percent. However, there has been no review done on premenstrual syndrome in Africa. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to summarize the most recent data evidence on the pooled prevalence of premenstrual syndrome and its pooled effect of associated factors in Africa.

Method: We used an appropriate guideline for systematic reviews and meta-analyses reports, which is the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). This review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023414021). The publications were identified from PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, Scopus databases, and other grey searches. The included papers were the original data that reported the prevalence of premenstrual syndrome and associated factors published, in English, and papers available online from January 1, 2000, to May 30, 2023. The data was extracted in Microsoft Excel, and then it would be imported into STATA 11.0 for analysis.

Results: We have included 16 studies conducted in African countries with 6530 study participants. In this meta-analysis, the pooled prevalence of premenstrual syndrome among the reproductive-age participants in Africa was 46.98 (95% CI: 28.9-65.06%). Further, in subgroup analysis, the pooled prevalence of premenstrual syndrome was 57.32% in Nigeria, 43.8% in Ethiopia, and 38.6% among university students and 66.04% among secondary school students. Among associated factors, the early age of menarche was significantly related to premenstrual syndrome.

Conclusion: In this review, the pooled prevalence of premenstrual syndrome in Africa was high. Among factors, the early age of menarche was a risk factor for premenstrual syndrome. This finding might help the stakeholders (mental health policy makers, administrators, and mental health professionals) to address prevention, early screening, and management of PMS among reproductive-age women, and to give attention to more vulnerable bodies.

Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO, identifier CRD42023414021.

Keywords: Africa; PMS; meta-analysis; premenstrual syndrome; prevalence; systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flowchart of review search on the prevelance and associated factors of PMS.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot of the pooled prevelance of PMS in Africa.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Funnel plot of PMS in Africa.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest plot on subgroup analysis of the pooled prevelance of PMS in Africa.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Forest plot showing different associated factors of PMS in Africa.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Forest plot on subgroup analysis based on the assessment tool used.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Forest plot showing different factors associated with PMS in Africa.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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