---
title: Do normal women actually experience worse mood before their period?
description: When women tracked their mood daily, they did not show a pattern of worsening before their period. But when asked to remember back, most reported experiencing
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/premenstrual-emotional-changes-a-prospective-study-of-symptomatology-in-normal-1990/
---

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- Do normal women actually experience worse mood before their period?

Cohort study, 1990

# Do normal women actually experience worse mood before their period?

When women tracked their mood daily, they did not show a pattern of worsening before their period. But when asked to remember back, most reported experiencing premenstrual mood problems. This suggests memory bias rather than real mood changes.

 Moderate study design

Normal women

## What they did

51 women completed a daily mood questionnaire for 8 weeks without being told the study was about the menstrual cycle. Later, they were asked to remember if they had experienced premenstrual tension.

## What they found

Daily mood tracking showed no increase in negative mood during the premenstrual or menstrual phases. However, the majority of women reported afterward that they had experienced premenstrual tension during the study period. Age and other menstrual variables showed no relationship to reported premenstrual tension.

## What it means for you

We may believe we have premenstrual mood problems because we expect to have them, even if our actual moods do not change with our cycle. This is an important study showing that memory and expectations shape what we remember about our symptoms. This is a study of women without diagnosed PMS, so it does not apply to women with actual PMS symptoms.

51

Women studied

8 weeks

Duration of daily tracking

## About the study

Original title Premenstrual emotional changes a prospective study of symptomatology in normal women Authors Ainscough CE Journal Journal of psychosomatic research Year 1990 Study design Cohort study What was tested None - daily mood tracking Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(90)90006-p](https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(90)90006-p)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)

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

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What genetic factors are linked to premenstrual symptoms?

Randomised trial, 2026

Does aerobic or resistance exercise reduce anxiety in women with PMS?

Study, 2026

How do women with PMDD process emotions differently in their brains?

Systematic review, 2026

Why do some women experience mood changes linked to their menstrual cycle?

Case-control study, 2026

Do women with PMS handle emotions differently at different times of the cycle?

Survey study, 2025

Does PMDD or PMS affect quality of life?

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