--- title: Does the menstrual cycle affect how women's hearts and blood vessels respond to stress? description: The menstrual cycle affected some cardiovascular measures in women without PMS but not in women with PMS. Women with PMS consistently showed weaker stress res url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/menstrual-cycle-and-premenstrual-syndrome-modifiers-of-cardiovascular-reactivity-1993/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does the menstrual cycle affect how women's hearts and blood vessels respond to stress? Case-control study, 1993 # Does the menstrual cycle affect how women's hearts and blood vessels respond to stress? The menstrual cycle affected some cardiovascular measures in women without PMS but not in women with PMS. Women with PMS consistently showed weaker stress responses than women without PMS. Early or limited evidence 15 women with PMS and 15 women without PMS ## What they did 15 women with PMS and 15 without PMS were each tested twice during different cycle phases: once during the follicular phase and once during the luteal phase. Tests measured cardiovascular responses to stress and behavioral performance. ## What they found In non-PMS women, the luteal phase showed greater stroke volume and less vascular tightening than the follicular phase. In women with PMS, cardiovascular measures did not change across cycle phases. However, women with PMS had consistently lower blood pressure and heart rate responses to stress than non-PMS women, regardless of cycle phase. ## What it means for you Women with PMS may have a generally dampened response to stress that doesn't vary with their menstrual cycle, while non-PMS women show normal cycle-related changes. The study is limited by its small sample size. 15 Women with PMS 15 Control women without PMS 2 Test phases per person ## About the study Original title Menstrual cycle and premenstrual syndrome: modifiers of cardiovascular reactivity in women Authors Girdler SS, Pedersen CA, Stern RA et al. Journal Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association Year 1993 Study design Case-control study What was tested Testing during different menstrual cycle phases Read the paper [doi.org/10.1037//0278-6133.12.3.180](https://doi.org/10.1037//0278-6133.12.3.180) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/) 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 Randomised trial, 2026 Does mindfulness training reduce PMS symptoms and fear about childbirth? Systematic review, 2025 Is there a link between stress, trauma, and premenstrual symptoms? Randomised trial, 2025 Does caloric restriction and aerobic exercise improve PMS symptoms in obese women? Cohort study, 2025 How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it? Review, 2025 How do stress hormone levels change during the menstrual cycle and how does this affect health? Randomised trial, 2024 Does curcumin reduce depression, anxiety, and stress in women with PMS and dysmenorrhea? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗