Premenstrual disorders have been recognized as affecting innumerable women for decades but unlike most other medical conditions universally accepted criteria for definition and diagnosis are not established. Although premenstrual syndrome (PMS) occurs throughout reproductive life, there are some women who become particularly troubled. Those approaching the menopause may also have a mixture of PMS and menopause symptoms, not to mention heavy periods. Furthermore, some of the symptoms are similar in nature and so it is a challenge to identify which set of symptoms belongs to which spectrum. This is an area that has not been explored well. Various classifications have been proposed over the last few decades. A further effort towards the classification was made by an international multidisciplinary group of experts established as the International Society for Premenstrual Disorders (ISPMD) in Montreal in September 2008. Their deliberations resulted in a unified diagnosis, classification of premenstrual disorders (PMD) along with their quantification and guidelines on clinical trial design. This classification of PMS is far more comprehensive and inclusive than previous attempts. PMD in the ISPMD Montreal consensus are divided into two categories: Core and Variant PMD. Core PMD are typical, pure or reference disorders associated with spontaneous ovulatory menstrual cycles while Variant PMD exist where more complex features are present. Further, the consensus group considered that PMD may be subdivided into three subgroups predominantly physical, predominantly psychological and mixed. Variant PMD encompass primarily four different types; premenstrual exacerbation, PMD with anovulatory ovarian activity, PMD with absent menstruation and progestogen-induced PMD.
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