Survey study, 2010
Do women who notice negative life events more tend to have worse PMS symptoms?
Women whose PMS symptoms worsened the most through their cycle were more likely to focus on negative life events and overlook positive ones, suggesting a thinking pattern linked to PMS.
What they did
Cross-sectional study of 88 healthy women tracked over three consecutive menstrual cycles. Researchers measured changes in PMS symptoms and asked women to record life events during the follicular phase of the first cycle.
What they found
Bigger increases in PMS symptoms from the follicular to late-luteal phase were associated with noticing more negative subjective life events and fewer positive subjective life events. This pattern did not appear for objective life events.
What it means for you
How women interpret and remember life events might be part of PMS, not just physical or mood symptoms. The study was small (88 women) and relied on self-reported perceptions rather than objective measures.
88
healthy women
3
consecutive cycles tracked
About the study
- Original title
- Association of a trait-like bias towards the perception of negative subjective life events with risk of developing premenstrual symptoms
- Authors
- Gonda X, Fountoulakis KN, Csukly G et al.
- Journal
- Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry
- Year
- 2010
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 88
- What was tested
- Symptom tracking and life event recording
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2010.02.004
Topics
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