Survey study, 1989
Do anxiety and brain activity change with the menstrual cycle in healthy women?
Brain wave frequencies decreased before menstruation, but anxiety and reaction time did not change significantly across the cycle in most women. Only women with high baseline anxiety showed premenstrual anxiety increases.
What they did
Researchers tested 30 healthy women (without premenstrual tension) weekly, measuring brain wave frequencies, reaction time, nerve conduction speed, and anxiety levels using standardized rating scales.
What they found
EEG frequencies decreased before menstruation in all subjects. There were no significant changes in reaction time, nerve conduction velocity, or anxiety scores associated with different cycle phases. High-anxiety women showed longer reaction times and different nerve patterns. Anxiety scores and reaction time increased during the premenstrual period only for the low anxiety group.
What it means for you
Healthy women without PMS may not experience significant anxiety changes with their cycle unless they already have high baseline anxiety. Brain waves do shift before your period, but this may not affect how you feel. The study only included healthy women, so results may not apply to those with more severe PMS.
30
healthy women studied
About the study
- Original title
- Relations between anxiety, psychophysiological variables and menstrual cycle in healthy women
- Authors
- Contreras CM, Marván ML, Alcalá-Herrera V et al.
- Journal
- Boletin de estudios medicos y biologicos
- Year
- 1989
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 30
- What was tested
- None, observational
- Read the paper
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2803474/
Topics
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