Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) refers to physical and emotional symptoms  occurring  in the one to two weeks before a woman's menstrual period. Symptoms often vary between women and resolve around the start of bleeding. Common symptoms include acne, tender breasts, bloating, feeling tired, irritability, and mood changes. Often symptoms are present for around six days. A woman's pattern of symptoms may change over time. (Biggs, WS; Demuth, RH,2015) Symptoms do not occur during pregnancy or following menopause. The reason of PMS is unknown. Some symptoms may be worsened by a high-salt diet, alcohol, or caffeine. The underlying mechanism is believed to involve changes in hormone levels. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a more severe form of PMS that has greater psychological symptoms.  The PMS awareness and taking medications for the same is high among the urban women. But how the PMS affects the rural women is yet to be documented in Indian research literature. This study deals with assessing the extent of PMS borne by the rural women in Thanjavur district of the state of Tamil Nadu, India.

KEYWORDS: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS),  PMS-A, PMS-C, PMS-D, PMS-H

JEL Classification:  I 12, B 54,