--- title: Do women who are prone to anxiety experience more severe menstrual symptoms? description: Women with higher anxiety sensitivity reported greater menstrual symptoms regardless of which phase of their cycle they were in, compared to women with lower url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-role-of-anxiety-sensitivity-in-the-experience-of-menstrual-related-symptoms-2013/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do women who are prone to anxiety experience more severe menstrual symptoms? Cohort study, 2013 # Do women who are prone to anxiety experience more severe menstrual symptoms? Women with higher anxiety sensitivity reported greater menstrual symptoms regardless of which phase of their cycle they were in, compared to women with lower anxiety sensitivity. This suggests anxiety sensitivity may be an important factor in how severe menstrual symptoms feel. Moderate study design 55 community women ## What they did 55 community women tracked menstrual symptoms daily across at least one full menstrual cycle using the Daily Record of Severity of Problems. They also completed the Menstrual Distress Questionnaire once during their premenstrual phase and once during their follicular phase. ## What they found Women with higher levels of anxiety sensitivity reported greater menstrual-related symptoms, regardless of cycle phase, as compared to women with lower levels of anxiety sensitivity. The findings suggest that anxiety sensitivity may be an important psychological factor involved in the experience of both psychological and somatic symptoms across the menstrual cycle. ## What it means for you A psychological trait like anxiety sensitivity appears linked to how severe menstrual symptoms feel. The sample is small and from the community, which limits how broadly results apply. The study is observational so cannot prove anxiety causes more symptoms. 55 community women at least 1 full menstrual cycle tracked by each woman ## About the study Original title The role of anxiety sensitivity in the experience of menstrual-related symptoms reported via daily diary Authors Nillni YI, Rohan KJ, Mahon JN et al. Journal Psychiatry research Year 2013 Study design Cohort study Participants 55 What was tested None (observational study of anxiety sensitivity) Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2013.07.016](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2013.07.016) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Anxiety disorders and OCD](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-anxiety-disorders/) 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 Systematic review, 2022 Do mental health disorders get worse during the menstrual cycle? Cohort study, 1993 How common are premenstrual and menstrual symptoms in women? Study, 2026 Do anxiety and depression get worse before your period if you already have a mental health condition? Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Cohort study, 2020 Are women with PMDD more likely to have generalized anxiety disorder? Lab study, 2020 Does anxiety sensitivity change during different parts of the menstrual cycle? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗