---
title: Do women with moderate to severe PMS have problems with attention and memory?
description: Yes. Women with moderate to severe PMS made more mistakes and had lower accuracy on attention and memory tests even though tests were done when they didn't ha
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/subtle-persistent-working-memory-and-selective-attention-deficits-in-women-with-2017/
---

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- Do women with moderate to severe PMS have problems with attention and memory?

Study, 2017

# Do women with moderate to severe PMS have problems with attention and memory?

Yes. Women with moderate to severe PMS made more mistakes and had lower accuracy on attention and memory tests even though tests were done when they didn't have symptoms.

 Early or limited evidence

13 women with moderate to severe PMS and 27 women with mild or no PMS

## What they did

They tested 13 women with moderate to severe PMS and 27 women with mild or no PMS. Tests measured attention and memory during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle, when PMS symptoms are not present.

## What they found

Women with moderate to severe PMS had lower accuracy and more errors on attention and memory tests compared to women with mild or no PMS.

## What it means for you

Women with moderate to severe PMS may have lasting attention and memory difficulties that don't go away even when symptoms are not present. However, the sample was small and tests were only done once during the cycle.

13

women with moderate to severe PMS

27

women with mild or no PMS

## About the study

Original title Subtle persistent working memory and selective attention deficits in women with premenstrual syndrome Authors Slyepchenko A, Lokuge S, Nicholls B et al. Journal Psychiatry research Year 2017 Study design Study Participants 27 What was tested None. Researchers tested existing groups of women. Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2017.01.031](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2017.01.031)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Sleep and insomnia](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-sleep/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[ADHD](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-adhd/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/)

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