--- title: Does how women control disgust change during the menstrual cycle? description: In the follicular phase, suppressing disgust worked better than rethinking it. In the luteal phase, both strategies produced similar results. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/disgust-regulation-between-menstrual-cycle-phases-differential-effects-of-2020/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does how women control disgust change during the menstrual cycle? Study, 2020 # Does how women control disgust change during the menstrual cycle? In the follicular phase, suppressing disgust worked better than rethinking it. In the luteal phase, both strategies produced similar results. Early or limited evidence 73 naturally cycling women ## What they did Seventy-three naturally cycling women were assigned to either suppress or reappraise disgust while watching a video meant to trigger disgust. Women were tested during either the follicular or luteal phase. Researchers measured self-reported disgust, physical responses during the video, and avoidance behavior afterward. ## What they found In the follicular phase, women who suppressed disgust reported feeling less disgust than those who reappraised it. In the luteal phase, suppression and reappraisal produced similar levels of reported disgust. Physical responses and avoidance behavior did not differ between the two strategies in either phase. ## What it means for you Suppressing disgust might be more effective than rethinking it during the follicular phase, but this advantage disappears during the luteal phase. The main limitation is that researchers did not measure hormone levels to confirm cycle phase, and the sample was relatively small. 73 women 2 emotion regulation strategies tested ## About the study Original title Disgust regulation between menstrual cycle phases: Differential effects of emotional suppression and reappraisal Authors Olatunji BO, Cox RC, Li I Journal Journal of behavior therapy and experimental psychiatry Year 2020 Study design Study Participants 73 What was tested Suppression vs. reappraisal of disgust while watching a video Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2019.101543](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2019.101543) ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Mood swings and emotion regulation](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-emotional-regulation/)[Anxiety disorders and OCD](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-anxiety-disorders/) 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 Case-control study, 2020 Does fatigue change across the menstrual cycle, especially in women with anxiety? Survey study, 2026 Do emotional regulation and resilience change during the menstrual cycle in women with PMDD? Randomised trial, 2014 Does the menstrual cycle affect how well women can regulate their emotions? Study, 2026 How do women with PMDD process emotions differently in their brains? Systematic review, 2026 Can digital tools help diagnose PMDD? Case-control study, 2026 Do women with PMS handle emotions differently at different times of the cycle? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗