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Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) has been studied in many countries, but few studies have been reported internationally on the experience of Chinese women. Because culture and employment are important factors in the perception of health status, in this study we sought to determine the existence and features of PMS in Chinese clerical women in Hong Kong. We used a cross‐sectional, retrospective approach to collect data with a translation of an established questionnaire (the Menstrual Distress Questionnaire). Fatigue was found to be the most prevalent symptom, and the Pain, Water Retention, Behavioral Change, and Negative Affect scales had more than 64% frequency. The main difference between these findings and those of other studies is that negative affect featured most prominently in Western samples, whereas pain featured most highly in this sample of Chinese women.