Survey study, 2009
Does body dissatisfaction change across the menstrual cycle?
Body dissatisfaction was significantly higher during premenstrual and menstrual phases. However, actual perception of body size did not change across the cycle.
What they did
Pilot study of 30 women (mean age 23.3 years, no eating disorders). Participants viewed digital images of their bodies and made judgments about body size, ideal size, and satisfaction during premenstrual, intermenstrual, and menstrual phases.
What they found
Participants wanted a smaller body size in all phases. Body dissatisfaction was significantly greater during premenstrual and menstrual phases. The menstrual cycle was not associated with changes in actual body-size perception, ideal size judgments, or detection of body-size changes.
What it means for you
Women feel worse about their bodies during certain cycle phases, even though their body has not changed. This is a small pilot study that needs confirmation in larger studies.
30
women studied
23.3 years
mean age
pre-, menstrual
phases with greater dissatisfaction
About the study
- Original title
- Body-image perception and dissatisfaction throughout phases of the female menstrual cycle
- Authors
- Jappe LM, Gardner RM
- Journal
- Perceptual and motor skills
- Year
- 2009
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- Observation of body-image across menstrual cycle phases
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.2466/pms.108.1.74-80
Topics
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