--- title: Do PMS symptoms affect how well women work? | Niyora description: Yes. Over half of working women (57%) said their PMS symptoms affected job performance, and 40% felt less productive during premenstrual symptoms. Mood-relate url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/premenstrual-symptoms-and-the-female-employee-1995/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do PMS symptoms affect how well women work? Survey study, 1995 # Do PMS symptoms affect how well women work? Yes. Over half of working women (57%) said their PMS symptoms affected job performance, and 40% felt less productive during premenstrual symptoms. Mood-related symptoms like irritability, anger, and depression had the strongest link to reduced work performance. Early or limited evidence 197 working women ## What they did Researchers surveyed 197 working women, asking what premenstrual symptoms they experienced, how severe the symptoms were, and how much they affected their work. They analyzed whether age or job level (managerial vs non-managerial) made a difference in how symptoms affected work. ## What they found The most common symptoms were irritability, bloating, mood swings, depression, weight gain, headaches, and anger, reported by more than half the women. 57% said symptoms affected their job performance, and 40% felt less productive during premenstrual symptoms. Mood-related symptoms were most strongly linked to reduced work performance. Younger women were more likely than older women to report that symptoms impacted their work. ## What it means for you Premenstrual symptoms can genuinely affect job performance, especially mood-related ones. This could help workplaces understand that these are not minor complaints. The main limit is this looked at one group of working women and results may differ for other jobs or countries. 57% women reporting symptoms affected job performance 40% women feeling less productive during premenstrual symptoms 197 working women surveyed ## About the study Original title PREMENSTRUAL SYMPTOMS AND THE FEMALE EMPLOYEE Authors Robert V. High, Patricia Ann Marcellino Journal Social Behavior and Personality An International Journal Year 1995 Study design Survey study Participants 197 What was tested None - survey only Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.2224/sbp.1995.23.3.265](https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.1995.23.3.265) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Irritability and anger](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-irritability-anger/)[Bloating, breast tenderness and physical symptoms](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-physical-symptoms/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/) 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 Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Survey study, 2011 How do premenstrual symptoms change as women age, and what factors influence them? Survey study, 2025 Can a plant-based supplement reduce PMS symptoms? Review, 2009 How common are PMS and PMDD, and how much do they disrupt women's lives? Systematic review, 2013 Does Vitex (chaste tree) help PMS and PMDD symptoms? Survey study, 2025 How common is PMDD in Brazilian women and what are the most frequent symptoms? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗