Survey study, 2021
Do disordered eating symptoms change across the phases of the menstrual cycle?
This study tracked several types of disordered eating every day for a full cycle to see if they differ between cycle phases, after accounting for body weight and mood, but the actual results of that comparison are not given in the information available, so no clear answer can be reported here.
What they did
20 women aged 18-45 with normal body weight were followed for about one menstrual cycle (~30 days). Each evening they answered questionnaires on loss of control eating, emotional eating, external eating, food preoccupation, cravings, and mood. Cycle phase was tracked with period dates, body temperature, and urine hormone strips, and compared across four phases.
What they found
The study describes the comparisons that were planned: loss of control eating, emotional eating, external eating, food preoccupation, and cravings across the four cycle phases and between before and after ovulation, with BMI and mood accounted for. The information available does not state which, if any, of these symptoms differed between phases.
What it means for you
Because the specific results aren't included in the information available, no practical takeaway about which cycle phase is hardest for eating symptoms can be given here. Even if results were included, the study only followed 20 women for one cycle each, so any findings would need to be confirmed in larger groups before being applied broadly.
20
women studied
18-45
age range in years
~30 days
length of tracking (one menstrual cycle)
About the study
- Original title
- Menstrual Cycle Changes in Dysregulated Eating Symptoms
- Authors
- Kimberly S. Stevens
- Journal
- Digital Scholarship - UNLV (University of Nevada Reno)
- Year
- 2021
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- None. This was an observational tracking study, not a treatment trial.
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.34917/22110094
Topics
Related studies
Study, 2026
What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder?
Study, 2015
Does weight preoccupation change during the menstrual cycle, and what causes these changes?
Randomised trial, 1995
Does a special carbohydrate drink help mood and thinking problems in PMS?
Survey study, 2020
How common are premenstrual symptoms in secondary school students?
Survey study, 2026
Is PMS worse in medical students with higher stress?
Survey study, 2026
How do pain, sleep quality, and appetite change across the menstrual cycle?