Cohort study, 2013
Is premenstrual mood change common, or do other factors matter more?
Only about half of mood measures showed any menstrual cycle connection. Physical health, stress, and social support were far stronger predictors of daily mood than the menstrual cycle phase.
What they did
A random sample of Canadian women aged 18-40 collected mood and health data daily for six months, producing 395 complete menstrual cycles for analysis. Researchers analyzed whether mood changed predictably with the menstrual cycle and compared this to other factors like physical health, stress, and social support.
What they found
Only half of individual mood items showed any association with menstrual cycle phase. Less than 0.5% of individual mood records showed menstrual cycle entrainment. Physical health, perceived stress, and social support were all much stronger predictors of daily mood (p<0.0001 in each case) than menstrual cycle phase.
What it means for you
The common belief that most women experience predictable premenstrual mood changes is not strongly supported by this research. Daily life stress and health status matter far more than the menstrual cycle for mood. The study included only Canadian women and relied on self-reported data, so findings may not apply to all populations.
395
Complete menstrual cycles analyzed
6 months
Duration of daily tracking
<0.5%
Mood records showing menstrual cycle entrainment
About the study
- Original title
- Mood and the menstrual cycle
- Authors
- Romans SE, Kreindler D, Asllani E et al.
- Journal
- Psychotherapy and psychosomatics
- Year
- 2013
- Study design
- Cohort study
- What was tested
- None; observational study using daily telemetry
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1159/000339370
Topics
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