--- title: Does menstruation affect how well women perform at work? | Niyora description: Yes. On days when women were menstruating, they reported lower ability to control their emotions and regulate themselves, which led to worse task performance, url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/ebbs-and-flows-a-within-person-study-of-menstruation-and-work-performance-2025/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does menstruation affect how well women perform at work? Survey study, 2025 # Does menstruation affect how well women perform at work? Yes. On days when women were menstruating, they reported lower ability to control their emotions and regulate themselves, which led to worse task performance, less helping of colleagues, and more withdrawing from work. Pain made this effect stronger. Moderate study design 108 women workers. ## What they did A total of 108 women workers tracked their experiences every day for 30 consecutive days. Each day they reported whether they were menstruating and rated their emotional control, self-control, task performance, helping behaviors toward colleagues, and work withdrawal. ## What they found On days when women were menstruating compared to days when they were not, they perceived lower ability to control their emotions and regulate themselves. This lower emotional and self-control was linked to worse task performance, less helping of colleagues, and more work withdrawal. Menstrual pain amplified the effect of menstruation on emotional control, but did not affect self-control. ## What it means for you Menstruation may affect how women feel about their work performance through impacts on emotional control. Pain worsens this effect. Workplaces might benefit from acknowledging these natural bodily changes. The main limitations are the small sample (108 women) and results are based on how women perceived their performance rather than objective measures. 108 Women workers studied 30 Consecutive days tracked ## About the study Original title Ebbs and flows: A within-person study of menstruation and work performance Authors Ortynsky M, Cloutier A, Byrne A et al. Journal Journal of occupational health psychology Year 2025 Study design Survey study Participants 108 What was tested None. This was an observational within-person study tracking daily experiences. Read the paper [doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000404](https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000404) ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/)[Stigma, attitudes and culture](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-stigma-culture/) 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 Survey study, 2024 What attitudes do women have about menstruation and what affects these attitudes? Survey study, 2023 What factors make premenstrual syndrome worse in nursing students? Survey study, 2024 Does stress affect the menstrual cycle in college students? Survey study, 2022 Is stress about puberty and menstruation linked to depression and anxiety in adolescent girls? Survey study, 2017 Can diet help with PMS symptoms? Randomised trial, 2017 Does yoga help with PMS symptoms? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗