Study, 1997
Does your mood really change more across your cycle if you have premenstrual symptoms?
Yes, women who report significant premenstrual discomfort show pronounced mood swings across their cycle - with positive moods peaking around ovulation and negative moods peaking around menstruation. Women with very mild symptoms do not show this same pattern.
What they did
20 women rated their emotions daily using a standard emotions scale. Researchers divided them based on whether they reported experiencing significant premenstrual discomfort or very mild premenstrual discomfort.
What they found
Positive moods peaked at or about the time of ovulation and negative moods peaked at or about the time of menstruation. This pattern was much more pronounced in women who rated themselves as having significant premenstrual discomfort. Women with very mild discomfort did not show this same dramatic mood change pattern.
What it means for you
If you notice big mood swings across your cycle, you are not imagining it - especially if you have premenstrual symptoms. Women without premenstrual symptoms experience more stable moods. The main limitation is the very small sample size (only 20 women), so these findings may not apply to everyone.
20
women
About the study
- Original title
- Changes in women's emotions as a function of emotion valence, self-determined category of premenstrual distress, and day in the menstrual cycle
- Authors
- Henderson BJ, Whissell C
- Journal
- Psychological reports
- Year
- 1997
- Study design
- Study
- Participants
- 20
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1997.80.3c.1272
Topics
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