PMS and College Life: Beyond “Just Part of Being a Student”

We often hear that PMS is “just part of being a college student.”

But when symptoms become severe enough to interfere with daily life, they deserve more than normalization.

A recent study of 450 college students found that those with PMS had significantly lower scores on measures of health-promoting lifestyle behaviours, including physical activity, nutrition, stress management, and health responsibility. Overall, more severe PMS symptoms were associated with poorer lifestyle outcomes.

It’s tempting to interpret this as a motivation problem, but it’s more likely a capacity problem.

When you’re dealing with fatigue, mood changes, pain, sleep disruption, or difficulty concentrating every month, it’s not surprising that exercising, preparing balanced meals, or managing stress can become much harder.

As therapists, this is an important reminder to avoid framing healthy habits as simply a matter of willpower.

Instead, we can explore how menstrual symptoms are affecting a student’s ability to care for themselves and work collaboratively to create realistic strategies that fit their energy and functioning throughout the month.

Supporting college students with PMS isn’t just about reducing symptoms.

It’s about helping them maintain their wellbeing, relationships, and academic success without feeling like they’re constantly falling behind because of something that’s been dismissed as “normal.”

Read more here: https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/ijamh-2025-0191/html