Study, 2015
Does premenstrual tension slow how quickly women react to sounds and lights?
Yes. Women took longer to react to both sounds and lights during their premenstrual phase compared to the postmenstrual phase.
What they did
Measured reaction time (how fast women respond to sounds and lights) in 100 healthy female medical students aged 17-21. They tested women during two phases of their cycle: the premenstrual phase and the postmenstrual phase.
What they found
Both visual reaction time and auditory reaction time were slower during the premenstrual phase than during the postmenstrual phase.
What it means for you
Hormonal changes before your period may slow how your brain processes sensory information. The study only included young, healthy medical students, so results may not apply to women with severe PMS or older women.
100
healthy female medical students
17-21
age range
About the study
- Original title
- Effect of premenstrual tension on audiovisual reaction time
- Authors
- VaishaliM Paunikar, D Rajashree
- Journal
- MRIMS Journal of Health Sciences
- Year
- 2015
- Study design
- Study
- Participants
- 100
- What was tested
- None (measurement study comparing two phases of the cycle)
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.4103/2321-7006.301951
Topics
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