--- title: Does fear of period pain affect mood and thinking during the menstrual cycle? description: Yes. Women expecting severe period pain showed increased anxiety and depression and slower thinking response during the premenstrual phase, suggesting that fe url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/using-a-menstrual-emotional-stroop-task-test-mest-to-measure-emotional-responses-2017/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does fear of period pain affect mood and thinking during the menstrual cycle? Survey study, 2017 # Does fear of period pain affect mood and thinking during the menstrual cycle? Yes. Women expecting severe period pain showed increased anxiety and depression and slower thinking response during the premenstrual phase, suggesting that fear of pain affects emotions and cognition. Early or limited evidence 40 healthy women aged 21 to 51 years with regular menstrual cycles ## What they did 40 women aged 21 to 51 with regular menstrual cycles were tested during two cycle phases (follicular and premenstrual, 3 to 5 days before their period). They completed emotional response tests and questionnaires about mood, anxiety, and pain levels. ## What they found Women reporting higher levels of pain (pain score above 7, n=7) had the longest reaction times on the emotional response test during the premenstrual phase compared to those with mild pain (pain score 1 to 3, n=22). Depression levels correlated with emotional response test performance during the premenstrual phase. ## What it means for you Anticipating period pain affects emotional responses and thinking speed. This suggests that addressing fear and anxiety about pain might help improve mood. The study is small and most participants reported mild pain, so results may not apply to women with severe pain. 40 women studied 7 with severe pain 22 with mild pain ## About the study Original title Using a Menstrual Emotional Stroop Task Test (MEST) to Measure Emotional Responses to Menstrual Cycle Pain Authors Summer F. Acevedo Journal MOJ Anatomy & Physiology Year 2017 Study design Survey study Participants 22 What was tested None Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.15406/mojap.2017.03.00100](https://doi.org/10.15406/mojap.2017.03.00100) ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Psychotherapy, counselling and education](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-psychotherapy/)[Alcohol, smoking and substance use](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-substance-use/)[Endometriosis](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-endometriosis/) 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 Cohort study, 2025 How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it? Survey study, 2023 How common are PMS, PMDD, anxiety, and depression in rural adolescent girls? Survey study, 2025 What factors are linked to PMS in female graduate students? Survey study, 2020 Do negative attitudes about menstruation and suggestibility predict worse PMS pain and distress? Survey study, 2001 How common is premenstrual dysphoric disorder and how is it related to other psychiatric conditions? Survey study, 1991 How common are menstrual symptoms in working women? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗