---
title: Do women with PMS think differently from women without PMS? | Niyora
description: No. Women with PMS do not show the changes in thinking that typically happen with depression, even though they have significant mood symptoms.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/mood-and-cognitive-style-in-premenstrual-syndrome-1989/
---

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- Do women with PMS think differently from women without PMS?

Study, 1989

# Do women with PMS think differently from women without PMS?

No. Women with PMS do not show the changes in thinking that typically happen with depression, even though they have significant mood symptoms.

 Early or limited evidence

10 women with PMS and 9 women without PMS

## What they did

10 women with PMS and 9 women without PMS completed psychological tests, memory tests, and brain performance tests during two phases of their menstrual cycle (follicular and luteal).

## What they found

Women with PMS did not show the thinking changes that usually occur with depression. There were no clear differences in psychological tests, memory, or brain performance between women with PMS and without PMS.

## What it means for you

PMS affects mood but may not change how the brain processes information the way depression does. Women with PMS may experience difficult feelings without the thinking and memory problems that depression usually brings. However, the sample was very small.

10

women with PMS

9

women without PMS

## About the study

Original title Mood and cognitive style in premenstrual syndrome Authors Rapkin AJ, Chang LC, Reading AE Journal Obstetrics and gynecology Year 1989 Study design Study What was tested None. Researchers compared thinking tests between groups. Read the paper [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2797641/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2797641/)

## Topics

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

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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Review, 2015

What do we know about PMS and PMDD and how are they treated?

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Are PMS and PMDD the same condition or are they different?

Randomised trial, 2025

Does escitalopram improve attention and reduce impulsivity in women with premenstrual irritability and anger?

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