--- title: Does the point in the menstrual cycle change mood, anxiety and exercise performance in active women? description: It made a small difference to aerobic fitness and to how exercise affected depression, but most other measures of mood, anxiety and performance did not clearl url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-impact-of-menstrual-cycle-phase-on-basal-and-exercise-induced-hormones-mood-2021/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does the point in the menstrual cycle change mood, anxiety and exercise performance in active women? Study, 2021 # Does the point in the menstrual cycle change mood, anxiety and exercise performance in active women? It made a small difference to aerobic fitness and to how exercise affected depression, but most other measures of mood, anxiety and performance did not clearly differ between cycle phases. Early or limited evidence 12 physically active women, average age 24.9 years ## What they did 12 physically active women (average age 24.9 years) were tested twice, once in the early follicular phase and once in the mid luteal phase of their menstrual cycle. In each phase they did aerobic and anaerobic exercise tests, and the researchers measured saliva hormone levels (estradiol and cortisol), mood and anxiety before and after exercise. ## What they found Estradiol levels before exercise were higher in the mid luteal phase than the early follicular phase, a clear difference. Aerobic fitness (VO2max) was higher in the early follicular phase (39.9 mL/kg/min) than the mid luteal phase (36.9 mL/kg/min). Depression scores went down after aerobic exercise, but only in the early follicular phase. No other clear differences were found between the two phases for exercise performance, mood or hormone changes. ## What it means for you Active women may see a small dip in aerobic fitness and get less of a mood lift from exercise during the luteal phase compared with the follicular phase, but most other effects did not clearly differ by cycle phase. The study only tested 12 women, so these findings need confirming in larger groups. 12 Women studied 39.9 mL/kg/min VO2max, early follicular phase 36.9 mL/kg/min VO2max, mid luteal phase ## About the study Original title The impact of menstrual-cycle phase on basal and exercise-induced hormones, mood, anxiety and exercise performance in physically active women Authors Paludo AC, Cook CJ, Owen JA et al. Journal The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness Year 2021 Study design Study What was tested Comparing exercise performance, hormones, mood and anxiety in two different menstrual cycle phases (early follicular vs mid luteal) Read the paper [doi.org/10.23736/s0022-4707.20.10844-2](https://doi.org/10.23736/s0022-4707.20.10844-2) ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Fatigue and energy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-fatigue/)[Exercise and yoga](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-exercise/) 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, 2025 Can a plant-based supplement reduce PMS symptoms? Study, 2025 Do women have different symptom patterns before, during, and after menopause? Survey study, 2025 How do personality traits like neuroticism affect PMS severity and sexual satisfaction? Cohort study, 2024 How does sleep change across your menstrual cycle? Study, 2024 Does how women feel when exercising change across the menstrual cycle? Survey study, 2024 Are menstrual cycle symptoms related to sleep problems and mental health in female athletes? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗