Menstrual cycle related complaints: A Cross-cultural study

Abstract

Menstrual and premenstrual complaints were compared amongst women from different ethnic groups in Australia, a country with a high immigrant population. One hundred and fifty-two women were asked to specify symptoms during the menstrual cycle. Only 50.8% of women reported menstrual symptoms. The complaints were mostly somatic with a range of 37 to 73% between the different ethnic groups. Sixty-nine per cent reported suffering from premenstrual symptoms. Turkish, Greek and Vietnamese women complained mainly of somatic symptoms, while 60% of the Australian women and 53% of the Italian women's complaints were of psychological and behavioural symptoms. Posssible explanations of these differences..