Document Detail


Rethinking the label: who benefits from the PMS construct?
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  8585226     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
After over 60 years of research on the premenstrual syndrome (PMS), work in this area continues to be characterized by a pervasive lack of consensus about the definition, aetiology, and treatment, nor is there agreement regarding the utility of this construct. The persistence of PMS as a medical category despite the inconclusiveness of the research, suggests that PMS is not simply a biomedical entity which eludes explanation. It is also a rather complex, ideologically and culturally constructed category, which is predicated on a number of unarticulated, but well-entrenched beliefs about the nature of science, biology, health, and femaleness. In this review of the feminist theoretical literature on PMS, the historical, cultural, economic, and political forces that have led to the popularization and medicalization of PMS are explored in light of these assumptions, with a particular emphasis on those that pertain to female biology and psychology. It is argued that research on the premenstruum requires the development of a cohesive theoretical framework that would permit a new lexicon and new questions to explore more fully this aspect of women's menstrual health.
Authors:
M Gurevich
Related Documents :
17569076 - Biology and mathematics: a fruitful merger of two cultures.
20692386 - Arabidopsis thaliana as a model organism for plant proteome research.
12818666 - At the crossroads of chemistry and biology.
9394296 - Patenting inventions in the field of biology and chemistry: german and european patent ...
4000896 - University-industry: a happy match?
16046696 - The human rights responsibilities of multinational tobacco companies.
Publication Detail:
Type:  Historical Article; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Review    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Women & health     Volume:  23     ISSN:  0363-0242     ISO Abbreviation:  Women Health     Publication Date:  1995  
Date Detail:
Created Date:  1996-03-20     Completed Date:  1996-03-20     Revised Date:  2009-05-20    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  7608076     Medline TA:  Women Health     Country:  UNITED STATES    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  67-98     Citation Subset:  IM; Q    
Affiliation:
Graduate Programme in Psychology, York University, North York, Ontario, Canada.
Export Citation:
APA/MLA Format     Download EndNote     Download BibTex
MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Culture*
Emotions
Female
Gender Identity
History, 19th Century
History, 20th Century
Humans
Marketing of Health Services
Mass Media
Philosophy, Medical
Premenstrual Syndrome* / economics,  etiology,  history,  physiopathology,  psychology
Research

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


Previous Document:  Office abortion services for women: private physician providers.
Next Document:  Evaluation of certain veterinary drug residues in food. Forty-third report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expe...