Survey study, 2025
Do PMS and menopausal symptoms make loneliness worse when women experience COVID-related stress?
Yes, PMS symptoms were associated with greater loneliness in pre-menopausal women with COVID-related stress, particularly through the emotional symptoms of PMS.
What they did
Cross-sectional web survey in Japan of 530 female workers (303 pre-menopausal, 217 post-menopausal). Researchers measured COVID-related PTSD symptoms and loneliness using standard scales. They assessed PMS symptoms in 263 pre-menopausal women (mean age 37.0 years, SD 8.9) and menopausal symptoms in 203 post-menopausal women (mean age 57.1 years, SD 9 0.6).
What they found
Pre-menopausal women reported higher loneliness than post-menopausal women, though this difference weakened after adjusting for age. PMS symptoms were positively associated with loneliness in pre-menopausal women. The psychological aspects of PMS symptoms were linked to increased loneliness related to COVID stress. In post-menopausal women, both PTSD symptoms and menopausal symptoms were associated with loneliness.
What it means for you
If you have PMS and experience pandemic-related stress, you may feel more isolated and lonely, especially if you experience emotional symptoms of PMS. This is a cross-sectional study so cannot prove PMS causes loneliness, and it only included female workers in Japan.
530
Female workers surveyed
263
Pre-menopausal women in PMS analysis
203
Post-menopausal women in analysis
About the study
- Original title
- Mediating effects of menstruation/menopause on the association between the COVID-19 pandemic related post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and loneliness in Japanese female workers: A cross-sectional study
- Authors
- Hirokawa K, Noda T, Tokunaga K
- Journal
- European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology
- Year
- 2025
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 530
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2025.01.048
Topics
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