Case-control study, 2007
Do women with PMDD see emotions in faces differently during the luteal phase?
Women with PMDD showed more negative bias during the luteal phase, seeing neutral faces as sadder than they were. The statistical effect was modest and might not hold up with stricter testing.
What they did
Women with PMDD (n=28) and asymptomatic controls (n=27) completed a facial emotion recognition task during the follicular phase and the luteal phase. Participants identified emotions in photographs of faces.
What they found
During the luteal phase, PMDD women showed significantly increased negative judgments and higher negative bias compared to their follicular phase performance. They also had trouble distinguishing neutral from emotional faces. Controls showed no menstrual cycle effects.
What it means for you
The negative bias in reading faces during the luteal phase may contribute to worsening mood in PMDD. The main limitation is that the statistical significance was modest and would not survive correction for multiple comparisons.
28
women with PMDD
27
control women
p<0.05
significance level
About the study
- Original title
- Facial emotion discrimination across the menstrual cycle in women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and controls
- Authors
- Rubinow DR, Smith MJ, Schenkel LA et al.
- Journal
- Journal of affective disorders
- Year
- 2007
- Study design
- Case-control study
- Participants
- 28
- What was tested
- None - observational study
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2007.01.031
Topics
Related studies
Survey study, 2020
What symptoms best predict whether PMDD will seriously affect daily life?
Review, 2015
What do we know about PMS and PMDD and how are they treated?
Review, 2013
What treatments work best for PMDD?
Survey study, 2026
Are PMS and PMDD the same condition or are they different?
Randomised trial, 2025
Does escitalopram improve attention and reduce impulsivity in women with premenstrual irritability and anger?
Case-control study, 2023
Do emotion regulation strategies help women with PMDD manage mood and stress hormones?