--- title: Does PMS cause women to miss work or do their jobs worse? | Niyora description: No clear difference in work performance, sick days, or stress between women at different cycle phases or compared to men. Women with self-reported PMS showed url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/pms-in-the-workplace-dispelling-the-myth-of-cyclic-dysfunction-1997/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does PMS cause women to miss work or do their jobs worse? Survey study, 1997 # Does PMS cause women to miss work or do their jobs worse? No clear difference in work performance, sick days, or stress between women at different cycle phases or compared to men. Women with self-reported PMS showed no problems specifically during their premenstrual phase; instead, they reported high stress and health problems across their entire cycle. Early or limited evidence 438 employees including women at different menstrual cycle phases and male colleagues ## What they did 438 employees completed a survey about the past week's stress, health, and work experiences. Researchers compared responses based on where women were in their menstrual cycle and compared women to men. ## What they found No differences in illness, health, work performance, absenteeism, or stress between women at different cycle phases or between women and men. Women with self-reported PMS did not show worse problems during the premenstrual phase but instead reported consistently high stress, poor health, and work problems throughout their cycle. ## What it means for you Employers don't need to worry that PMS reduces productivity or causes absences. Women who say they have PMS may need year-round support for broader health and stress issues, not just help around their period. The main limitation is that PMS was self-diagnosed and the survey only asked about one past week. 438 employees surveyed 4 menstrual cycle groups compared 2 occupational levels analyzed ## About the study Original title PMS in the workplace: Dispelling the myth of cyclic dysfunction Authors Elizabeth A. Hardie Journal Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology Year 1997 Study design Survey study Participants 438 What was tested No intervention; survey of work experiences across menstrual cycle phases Read the paper [doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8325.1997.tb00633.x](https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8325.1997.tb00633.x) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/)[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 Survey study, 2021 Do female military officers want to suppress their periods during training? Systematic review, 2026 Can mindfulness, yoga or qigong help with PMS symptoms? Survey study, 2026 Does exercise help college women with period problems and mental health? Study, 2026 What coping strategies help women manage PMS symptoms? Review, 2026 How do social factors like stigma and unequal care responsibilities affect premenstrual symptoms? Cohort study, 2025 How has PMS burden changed worldwide from 1990 to 2021? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗