--- title: Does your mood and how your body feels change during your menstrual cycle? description: Yes. Both women with normal cycles and those with irregular cycles reported more negative moods and worse physical feelings in the premenstrual phase than in url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/reactions-to-stress-during-the-normal-menstrual-cycle-1991/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does your mood and how your body feels change during your menstrual cycle? Lab study, 1991 # Does your mood and how your body feels change during your menstrual cycle? Yes. Both women with normal cycles and those with irregular cycles reported more negative moods and worse physical feelings in the premenstrual phase than in the middle of their cycle. Early or limited evidence 20 women with regular cycles of 28±5 days, normal weight, no hormonal contraceptives, with normal hormone levels ## What they did 20 women kept daily diaries recording mood, health feelings, and daily events (positive and negative) for one complete menstrual cycle. Researchers also measured hormone levels and used ultrasound to track ovulation and cycle changes. They compared women with truly normal cycles (regular 28±5 day cycles with typical findings) to those with irregular or abnormal cycles. ## What they found Only 6 out of 20 women actually had a truly normal cycle by strict definition. Both groups reported more negative body feelings and worse moods during the premenstrual phase compared to the middle phase. Women with normal cycles reported fewer negative body sensations overall and more positive daily experiences, but reported the same number of negative daily events as women with irregular cycles. ## What it means for you Premenstrual mood changes and physical symptoms are common even in women with normal cycles. The main limitation is that mood was tracked only through diary entries rather than clinical assessment, and each woman was monitored for just one cycle. 20 women enrolled 6 with truly normal cycles 28±5 days length of normal cycle ## About the study Original title [Reactions to stress during the normal menstrual cycle] Authors Schulze C, Boes M, Deichert U et al. Journal Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde Year 1991 Study design Lab study Participants 20 Read the paper [doi.org/10.1055/s-2008-1026217](https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2008-1026217) ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Oral contraceptives and drospirenone](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormonal-contraceptives/) 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 How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect women's menstrual cycles and symptoms? Survey study, 2018 What causes irregular periods? Non-randomised trial, 2014 Does the menstrual cycle phase change how one night of poor sleep affects the stress hormone cortisol? Study, 1976 Do mood and body changes happen at the same time in the menstrual cycle? Review, 2026 Can yoga and mind-based meditation help with PMS? Randomised trial, 2023 Does matching your running training to your menstrual cycle phase improve performance, recovery and wellbeing? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗