--- title: Do PMS mood swings really rise before a period, or is that just how we remember it? description: In this small study, physical symptoms like fatigue, pain and breast tenderness were confirmed to rise around the period, but mood swings and irritability wer url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/perimenstrual-symptoms-among-chinese-women-in-an-urban-area-of-china-1996/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do PMS mood swings really rise before a period, or is that just how we remember it? Cohort study, 1996 # Do PMS mood swings really rise before a period, or is that just how we remember it? In this small study, physical symptoms like fatigue, pain and breast tenderness were confirmed to rise around the period, but mood swings and irritability were not confirmed when tracked day by day, even though women recalled them as worse premenstrually when asked after the fact. Early or limited evidence 16 women in an urban area of southeastern China ## What they did Researchers studied 16 Chinese women in an urban area of southeastern China. The women filled out a one-time recall questionnaire (the Menstrual Distress Questionnaire) about their usual symptoms, and also kept a daily diary (the Daily Health Diary) tracking symptoms every day across the cycle. ## What they found On the daily diary, scores were significantly higher around the period (p < .03) for fatigue, sensitivity to cold, increased sleeping, abdominal pain or discomfort, painful or tender breasts, and decreased sexual desire. Women who had worse physical symptoms on the daily diary also tended to recall worse physical symptoms on the one-time questionnaire. But for mood symptoms, 13% to 25% of women recalled severe mood swings and irritability around their period on the one-time questionnaire, yet the daily diaries showed no statistical link between these mood symptoms and the cycle phase. ## What it means for you Physical symptoms like fatigue and breast tenderness do seem to genuinely cluster around the period, but how we remember mood symptoms afterward may not match what actually happens day to day. This matches findings from US studies, but the sample here was only 16 women, so it cannot tell us how common this pattern is more broadly. 16 women studied p < .03 significance for physical symptoms on daily diary 13% to 25% recalled severe mood swings/irritability around period ## About the study Original title Perimenstrual symptoms among Chinese women in an urban area of China Authors Yu M, Zhu X, Li J et al. Journal Health care for women international Year 1996 Study design Cohort study Participants 16 What was tested None (observational comparison of recall questionnaire vs daily diary) Read the paper [doi.org/10.1080/07399339609516230](https://doi.org/10.1080/07399339609516230) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Stigma, attitudes and culture](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-stigma-culture/) 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 Case-control study, 2026 Do women with PMS handle emotions differently at different times of the cycle? Systematic review, 2012 Does the menstrual cycle cause negative mood, especially before your period? Study, 2026 What coping strategies help women manage PMS symptoms? Cohort study, 2026 Does the menstrual cycle phase affect how much physical activity women do? Cohort study, 2026 How do beliefs about control and ways of handling emotions affect distress before your period? Randomised trial, 2025 Does asking about positive experiences change how women report premenstrual symptoms? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗