Case-control study, 1989
Do mood swings only happen to women with PMS, or do other women get them too?
Both groups had mood swings, but in women with PMS the low mood clustered tightly in the premenstrual days, while in women without PMS mood changes popped up at random times across the cycle, not just before periods.
What they did
44 women who said they had PMS (covering 133 menstrual cycles) and 48 women who said they did not (covering 100 cycles) kept a daily diary of seven mood states. Researchers fitted the mood patterns to a mathematical curve (a Fourier series) to compare the shape of mood changes over the cycle between the two groups.
What they found
The PMS group scored much higher on self-rated PMS at interview (62.1 vs 8.8), had mood swings in more cycles (76.7% vs 54.0%), had premenstrual tension in more cycles (69.9% vs 8.0%), had higher premenstrual tension severity scores (96.0 vs 4.1), and had a higher background mood score (31.6 vs 23.6) than the non-PMS group.
What it means for you
Mood changes are not unique to women with PMS, but in PMS the low mood is bigger and concentrated right before the period, whereas in other women it can happen at any time in the cycle. Groups were based on women's own view of whether they had PMS, not a formal diagnosis, which limits how firm these conclusions are.
69.9% vs 8.0%
Cycles with premenstrual tension, PMS vs non-PMS
62.1 vs 8.8
PMS self-rating score, PMS vs non-PMS
76.7% vs 54.0%
Cycles with mood swings, PMS vs non-PMS
About the study
- Original title
- Mood cyclicity in women with an without the premenstrual syndrome
- Authors
- Metcalf MG, Livesey JH, Wells JE et al.
- Journal
- Journal of psychosomatic research
- Year
- 1989
- Study design
- Case-control study
- Participants
- 48
- What was tested
- No treatment tested; this compared daily mood diaries between the two groups.
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(89)90002-0
Topics
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