Cohort study, 2025
Does worse PMS pain and concentration problems affect a woman's balance during her cycle?
Yes. Women with more pain and concentration problems during menstruation had poorer balance. Women with worse overall symptoms before their period also had poorer balance, though the study was very small with no comparison group.
What they did
18 young women stood on one leg for 30 seconds at four different points in their cycle: during menstruation, after menstruation, during ovulation, and before their period. Symptoms were measured using a questionnaire about pain, concentration, mood, and other premenstrual changes.
What they found
During menstruation, women with more pain had worse balance (correlation 0.527, p=0.025), as did those with concentration problems (correlation 0.500, p=0.035). Before their period, women with worse overall symptoms had worse balance (correlation 0.570, p=0.013). No link was found during the postmenstrual or ovulation phases.
What it means for you
Symptom severity may affect physical balance during menstruation and the premenstrual phase. This is the first study to examine this link, making findings preliminary. The very small sample of 18 women with no control group is a major limitation.
18
Women studied
0.570
Correlation between symptom severity and balance before period
0.013
Statistical significance of premenstrual finding
About the study
- Original title
- Association between perimenstrual symptoms and static balance in young women: a preliminary longitudinal observational study
- Authors
- Mizuta R, Tashiro T, Arima S et al.
- Journal
- BMC women's health
- Year
- 2025
- Study design
- Cohort study
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1186/s12905-025-04060-z
Topics
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