Case-control study, 2003
Does PMS affect balance and body awareness during the menstrual cycle?
Yes. Women with PMS had significantly worse balance and less ability to feel their knee joints moving compared to women without PMS.
What they did
Researchers studied 13 women with regular menstrual cycles. They measured body sway when standing still and ability to feel passive knee movement at different cycle phases using hormone and urine tests to confirm cycle timing. PMS was diagnosed using validated daily symptom ratings.
What they found
Eight of the 13 women had PMS. These women had significantly greater postural sway (p=0.002) and higher threshold for detecting passive knee motion (p=0.05) than women without PMS. There was a trend toward greater postural sway in the mid-luteal phase in women with PMS (p=0.06).
What it means for you
PMS may affect balance and coordination, which could explain why female athletes experience more injuries during the second half of the cycle. The study is small (only 13 women) and needs confirmation in larger groups.
13
Women studied
8
Women with PMS
0.002
P-value for postural sway difference
About the study
- Original title
- The influence of premenstrual symptoms on postural balance and kinesthesia during the menstrual cycle
- Authors
- Fridén C, Hirschberg AL, Saartok T et al.
- Journal
- Gynecological endocrinology : the official journal of the International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology
- Year
- 2003
- Study design
- Case-control study
- Participants
- 13
- What was tested
- None (observational study)
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1080/09513590312331290358
Topics
Related studies
Systematic review, 2025
Are PMS and PMDD more common in highly trained female athletes than in women who don't train intensively?
Systematic review, 2025
Do different types of exercise help with PMS?
Systematic review, 2023
How common are menstrual cycle problems and PMS or PMDD in female athletes?
Survey study, 2026
Does stress affect premenstrual symptoms in female athletes, and can coping strategies help?
Cohort study, 2026
Does the menstrual cycle phase affect how much physical activity women do?
Survey study, 2025
How common is PMS in adolescent female athletes?