---
title: Do women with PMS respond to stress differently than other women?
description: Yes. Women with premenstrual dysphoria rate daily stressors as more stressful and seek social support more often than other women, especially before their per
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/psychosocial-factors-in-premenstrual-dysphoria-stressors-appraisal-and-coping-1994/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- Do women with PMS respond to stress differently than other women?

Case-control study, 1994

# Do women with PMS respond to stress differently than other women?

Yes. Women with premenstrual dysphoria rate daily stressors as more stressful and seek social support more often than other women, especially before their period.

 Moderate study design

78 women with premenstrual dysphoria and control women

## What they did

78 women answered daily questionnaires about stressors, coping strategies, and mood during their premenstrual and postmenstrual phases.

## What they found

Women with premenstrual dysphoria reported stressors as more stressful and undesirable when premenstrual compared to postmenstrual. They used emotional release more often before their period and sought social support more often than other women.

## What it means for you

How women with PMS experience and handle stress changes during their cycle. This suggests coping style varies by cycle phase. The study is small and relied on self-reported perceptions.

78

women studied

## About the study

Original title Psychosocial factors in premenstrual dysphoria: stressors, appraisal, and coping processes Authors Fontana AM, Palfai TG Journal Journal of psychosomatic research Year 1994 Study design Case-control study What was tested None (observational study) Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(94)90053-1](https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(94)90053-1)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/)

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, 2023

Does stress cause women with PMDD to eat emotionally?

Cohort study, 2026

Does brain structure differ between women with PMDD and healthy controls?

Cohort study, 2001

Do women with PMDD handle stress hormones differently than women without it?

Study, 2026

What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder?

Survey study, 2026

What hormonal and psychological factors affect PMS symptoms?

Cohort study, 2025

Do pain sensitivity and negative thinking explain how trauma and stress cause PMS or PMDD?

Ask AI about this page

Copy prompt

ChatGPT

↗

Claude

↗

Perplexity

↗

Google AI Mode

↗

Grok

↗