---
title: Do women with PMS eat more food before their period? | Niyora
description: Yes. Women with more severe PMS symptoms ate significantly more calories in the 10 days before their period.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/hyperphagia-in-premenstrual-tension-syndrome-1985/
---

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- Do women with PMS eat more food before their period?

Survey study, 1985

# Do women with PMS eat more food before their period?

Yes. Women with more severe PMS symptoms ate significantly more calories in the 10 days before their period.

 Early or limited evidence

20 young adult women

## What they did

Researchers measured how much 20 young women ate during the 10 days before and after their period.

## What they found

Women with more severe symptoms had a greater increase in calorie intake before their period. The increase in eating also rose with age.

## What it means for you

This small study suggests a real link between PMS and increased appetite, though the researchers could only guess at the cause (higher endorphin levels). The sample is very small and mostly young adults, so results may not apply to other groups.

20

women studied

10 days

tracking period before and after

## About the study

Original title Hyperphagia in premenstrual tension syndrome Authors Giannini AJ, Price WA, Loiselle RH et al. Journal The Journal of clinical psychiatry Year 1985 Study design Survey study Participants 20 What was tested None Read the paper [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2931423/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2931423/)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Eating disorders](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-eating-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

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Do women with eating disorders experience more menstrual distress, and does birth control help?

Review, 2000

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Systematic review, 2023

Do different racial and ethnic groups experience depression, anxiety, and PMDD differently?

Review, 2013

Does exercise help or hurt women's menstrual health?

Review, 2004

Could a brain hormone called allopregnanolone explain mood problems like PMDD in women?

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