---
title: Why do women's moods change during their menstrual cycle? | Niyora
description: Mood changes during the cycle are linked to changing levels of estrogen and progesterone, which affect brain chemistry. Both hormones and psychology likely pl
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/pre-menstrual-tension-and-mood-change-1980/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- Why do women's moods change during their menstrual cycle?

Review, 1980

# Why do women's moods change during their menstrual cycle?

Mood changes during the cycle are linked to changing levels of estrogen and progesterone, which affect brain chemistry. Both hormones and psychology likely play a role.

 Early or limited evidence

Review of existing research (not a new study of people)

## What they did

Review of research on premenstrual tension and mood changes over many years.

## What they found

Mood changes occur during the menstrual cycle and correlate with estrogen and progesterone levels. These hormones affect brain chemistry, including a molecule called MAO and certain neurotransmitters. High estrogen is linked to better mood, and low estrogen to depression.

## What it means for you

Both hormones and psychology affect mood during the cycle, but exactly how they interact is unclear. Most research relied on women reporting their own symptoms, which has limitations.

## About the study

Original title Pre-menstrual tension and mood change Authors Blank AM, Goldstein SE, Chatterjee N Journal Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie Year 1980 Study design Review What was tested None (literature review) Read the paper [doi.org/10.1177/070674378002500708](https://doi.org/10.1177/070674378002500708)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)

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

Cohort study, 2025

How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it?

Randomised trial, 2024

Does curcumin reduce depression, anxiety, and stress in women with PMS and dysmenorrhea?

Randomised trial, 1995

Does fluoxetine help premenstrual dysphoria?

Study, 2026

Do anxiety and depression get worse before your period if you already have a mental health condition?

Study, 2026

What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder?

Survey study, 2025

How do personality traits like neuroticism affect PMS severity and sexual satisfaction?

Ask AI about this page

Copy prompt

ChatGPT

↗

Claude

↗

Perplexity

↗

Google AI Mode

↗

Grok

↗