--- title: Is stress higher during the premenstrual phase of the menstrual cycle? description: Yes. Women experienced clearly higher stress and blood pressure during the premenstrual phase compared to after their period. Heart rate also increased more d url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/comparison-of-perceived-stress-and-cardiovascular-reactivity-during-different-2019/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Is stress higher during the premenstrual phase of the menstrual cycle? Study, 2019 # Is stress higher during the premenstrual phase of the menstrual cycle? Yes. Women experienced clearly higher stress and blood pressure during the premenstrual phase compared to after their period. Heart rate also increased more during physical challenges during the premenstrual phase. Moderate study design 60 healthy women aged 18 to 22 years ## What they did A study measured stress levels and heart function in 60 healthy women aged 18 to 22 during different phases of their menstrual cycle. They used a stress questionnaire and physical tests including cold water exposure and standing up suddenly. ## What they found Perceived stress, heart rate, and resting blood pressure were clearly higher during the premenstrual period compared to the postmenstrual period. Blood pressure increased more during physical tests during the premenstrual phase than the postmenstrual phase. ## What it means for you Stress and physical stress responses increase naturally during the second half of the menstrual cycle. This may be related to higher estrogen and progesterone levels at that time. The study only included healthy young women without PMS, so we cannot know if women with PMS experience even larger changes. 60 women studied 18-22 age in years ## About the study Original title Comparison of perceived stress and cardiovascular reactivity during different phases of menstrual cycle Authors Amita Pardeshi Journal National Journal of Physiology Pharmacy and Pharmacology Year 2019 Study design Study Participants 60 What was tested None. Observational study measuring stress and heart responses across different cycle phases Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.5455/njppp.2019.9.0829803092019](https://doi.org/10.5455/njppp.2019.9.0829803092019) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Randomised trial, 2026 Does mindfulness training reduce PMS symptoms and fear about childbirth? Systematic review, 2025 Is there a link between stress, trauma, and premenstrual symptoms? Randomised trial, 2025 Does caloric restriction and aerobic exercise improve PMS symptoms in obese women? Cohort study, 2025 How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it? Review, 2025 How do stress hormone levels change during the menstrual cycle and how does this affect health? Randomised trial, 2024 Does curcumin reduce depression, anxiety, and stress in women with PMS and dysmenorrhea? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗