Survey study, 2023
Do women with PMDD have problems with attention and impulse control during the luteal phase?
Yes. Women with PMDD show worse attention and weaker impulse control during the luteal phase, with problems getting worse in the late luteal phase right before their period. These problems are linked to impulsivity.
What they did
Cross-sectional study of 63 women with PMDD and 53 controls, identified through psychiatric interviews and weekly symptom tracking. Both groups completed computerized tests during early and late luteal phases: Go/No-Go task for attention and impulse control, impulsivity questionnaire, decision-making scale, and hostility inventory.
What they found
Women with PMDD had poorer attention during the late luteal phase and poorer response inhibition (impulse control) in both early and late luteal phases compared to controls. The late luteal phase showed exacerbation of attention deficit in the PMDD group. Impulsivity was negatively linked to response inhibition at the late luteal phase, and preference for deliberation was linked to attention at the late luteal phase.
What it means for you
Women with PMDD experience genuine problems with focus and controlling impulses that worsen right before their period, which could explain irritability and difficulties at work or in relationships during this time. The main limits are that this was a cross-sectional design without long-term follow-up, testing at only two time points, and appears to be from a single country.
63
Women with PMDD
53
Control women
2
Luteal phases tested
About the study
- Original title
- Attention, response inhibition, impulsivity, and decision-making within luteal phase in women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder
- Authors
- Yen JY, Lin PC, Hsu CJ et al.
- Journal
- Archives of women's mental health
- Year
- 2023
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 63
- What was tested
- None - observational study
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1007/s00737-023-01311-6
Topics
Related studies
Cohort study, 2022
What are PMS and PMDD and how should they be diagnosed and treated?
Randomised trial, 1997
Does sertraline reduce PMDD symptoms and improve women's ability to function?
Study, 2026
What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder?
Randomised trial, 2013
Does psychological education reduce PMS symptoms in teenagers?
Case-control study, 2012
Do women with PMDD have working memory problems linked to concentration and irritability?
Survey study, 2026
How common is premenstrual tension and does it affect university students' studies?