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Survey study, 2003

Do women with PMDD act more aggressively before their period?

Yes, clearly. Women with PMDD used more aggressive tactics during the premenstrual phase and had higher rates of verbal and physical aggression overall compared to women without PMDD.

Early or limited evidence 24 women with PMDD and 18 control women

What they did

Asked 24 women with PMDD and 18 women without it about their conflict resolution methods and aggression during different phases of their menstrual cycle and over the past year.

What they found

Women with PMDD were more aggressive during the premenstrual phase than the follicular phase. Over the past year, 62% of women with PMDD experienced or used some form of violence compared to 33% of control women. Women with PMDD used both verbal and physical aggression more frequently than controls.

What it means for you

Women with PMDD show increased aggression before their period and higher aggression overall. This is a small study based on self-reported behavior, not observed aggression.

24

women with PMDD

62%

of PMDD group experienced violence

33%

of control group experienced violence

About the study

Original title
Conflict resolution in women is related to trait aggression and menstrual cycle phase
Authors
Alyson J. Bond, Gail Critchlow, Janet Wingrove
Journal
Aggressive Behavior
Year
2003
Study design
Survey study

Topics