---
title: Does pain feel worse for women with PMS? | Niyora
description: Women with PMS reported higher pain intensity during both the week before and during menstruation, compared to women without PMS, though pain tolerance tests
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/pain-responsivity-in-women-with-premenstrual-syndrome-across-the-menstrual-cycle-1986/
---

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- Does pain feel worse for women with PMS?

Study, 1986

# Does pain feel worse for women with PMS?

Women with PMS reported higher pain intensity during both the week before and during menstruation, compared to women without PMS, though pain tolerance tests showed no clear difference.

 Early or limited evidence

11 women with a PMS diagnosis and 10 women without PMS

## What they did

Researchers compared pain sensitivity in 11 women with PMS and 10 women without PMS, measuring how much pain they could tolerate and how intense pain felt to them at two different times of their cycle.

## What they found

Women with PMS reported higher pain intensity in both the week before their period and during their cycle phases. However, tests of pain threshold and tolerance showed no clear difference between the groups.

## What it means for you

Women with PMS may perceive pain as more intense, but this may not mean they physically tolerate pain differently. The study was small with only 21 women total.

11

women with PMS

10

women without PMS

2

cycle phases tested

## About the study

Original title Pain responsivity in women with premenstrual syndrome across the menstrual cycle Authors Kuczmierczyk AR, Adams HE, Calhoun KS et al. Journal Perceptual and motor skills Year 1986 Study design Study Participants 11 Read the paper [doi.org/10.2466/pms.1986.63.2.387](https://doi.org/10.2466/pms.1986.63.2.387)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)

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.

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