---
title: Does the menstrual cycle phase affect how well women can focus and remember things?
description: The menstrual cycle affects how well women focus but not memory. Lower estradiol levels seem to reduce your ability to focus.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/menstrual-cycle-phase-effects-on-memory-and-stroop-task-performance-2009/
---

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- Does the menstrual cycle phase affect how well women can focus and remember things?

Study, 2009

# Does the menstrual cycle phase affect how well women can focus and remember things?

The menstrual cycle affects how well women focus but not memory. Lower estradiol levels seem to reduce your ability to focus.

 Early or limited evidence

30 women with regular menstrual cycles

## What they did

30 women with regular menstrual cycles took a memory test and a Stroop task (a test of how well you can focus and ignore distractions) at different points in their cycle when hormone levels were low versus high.

## What they found

Women's ability to focus was different when estradiol and progesterone levels were low compared to high. Memory performance did not differ between these times. Their mood did not change.

## What it means for you

The menstrual cycle affects how well you can focus through a direct effect on the brain, not through mood or memory. This is a small study with only 30 women, and it tested at only two hormone levels, not throughout the full cycle.

30

women studied

2

cycle phases tested

2

tasks tested

## About the study

Original title Menstrual cycle phase effects on memory and Stroop task performance Authors Hatta T, Nagaya K Journal Archives of sexual behavior Year 2009 Study design Study What was tested None; natural menstrual cycle phases were observed Read the paper [doi.org/10.1007/s10508-008-9445-7](https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-008-9445-7)

## Topics

[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)

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