Relationship between Obesity and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder in African American Women

Introduction: Many women in their reproduction age experience emotional and physical changes during their monthly cycles.   Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder is a type of psychiatric disorder characterized by behavioral changes and mood swings. PMDD affects about 8% of reproductive age women and it is not fully understood or documented to be associated with obesity.  There is limited research available that focuses on obesity and reproductive health, this research will explore the prevalence of PMDD among obese African American women using a cross sectional research design to determine if obesity is an underlying risk factor.

Methods:  Demographics were obtained from a random sample of African American women (n=353) from Bolivar County Department of Health. African American women of childbearing ages 18 and older were given an assessment to report their physical and physiological symptoms as it relates to their menses.  In addition to menstrual patterns, participants were also asked about their medical histories. Subjects reported their weight and height that were used to measure their BMI, a history. IBM statistics program was used to identify correlation patterns and descriptive statistics.

Results: Data analysis shows that BMI is associated with both physiological and physical characteristics of PMDD.  The alpha coefficient for both is .794 and .834 respectively. Among the study participants 49.1% had a BMI of 30 and above.  Over 52.5% of the woman studied reported having extreme or severe symptoms that interfered with their daily activities.  Obese women reported having experienced 89% of the medical conditions assessed. There is also a positive correlation between obesity and menorrhagia (p<0.05).

Implications: African American women have the highest obesity rate among any group of Americans. Obesity is one of the most challenging chronic diseases in resource-rich populations today. Pinpointing its relationship with the behavioral changes associated with PMDD can give researchers a better understanding about the adverse effects of obesity. This research has unveiled some complications associated with obesity and womens health; and its complication of human life outside of the known boundaries.  Because premenstrual dysphoric disorder is a complex health concern, helping women become more aware of this illness can help reduce the devastating effects of this condition.