--- title: Are stress and rumination linked to PMS, and does mindfulness help reduce symptoms? description: Yes on both counts. Higher stress and rumination during the premenstrual phase correlated with more severe PMS symptoms. Women with more mindfulness, particul url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/associations-of-premenstrual-symptoms-with-daily-rumination-and-perceived-stress-2023/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Are stress and rumination linked to PMS, and does mindfulness help reduce symptoms? Survey study, 2023 # Are stress and rumination linked to PMS, and does mindfulness help reduce symptoms? Yes on both counts. Higher stress and rumination during the premenstrual phase correlated with more severe PMS symptoms. Women with more mindfulness, particularly present-moment awareness and acceptance, had lower symptoms and less impairment. Early or limited evidence 56 naturally cycling women with self-reported premenstrual symptoms. ## What they did 56 women with self-reported premenstrual symptoms kept online diaries over two consecutive menstrual cycles, recording daily symptoms, rumination, and stress. At the start, they filled out questionnaires about their habitual mindfulness, including present-moment awareness and acceptance. ## What they found Premenstrual symptoms and impairment varied significantly across the menstrual cycle. During the late luteal phase, higher daily rumination and stress predicted higher premenstrual symptoms. Women with higher habitual present-moment awareness had lower premenstrual symptom and impairment levels during the late luteal phase. Higher habitual acceptance was linked to lower functional impairment. ## What it means for you Negative thought patterns and stress during the premenstrual phase worsen PMS symptoms. Mindfulness, especially present-moment awareness and acceptance, may protect against symptom worsening and could be a target for treatment. Limitation: small sample of 56 women, self-reported symptoms only, mindfulness measured once at baseline, cross-sectional design. 56 women studied p < .001 cycle variation in symptoms and impairment p ≤ .015 mindfulness associations with lower symptoms ## About the study Original title Associations of premenstrual symptoms with daily rumination and perceived stress and the moderating effects of mindfulness facets on symptom cyclicity in premenstrual syndrome Authors Nayman S, Konstantinow DT, Schricker IF et al. Journal Archives of women's mental health Year 2023 Study design Survey study What was tested None (observational diary study). Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1007/s00737-023-01304-5](https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-023-01304-5) Original abstract Subthreshold premenstrual symptoms can be impairing even if the diagnostic criteria for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) are not reached. Previous research suggests shared psychological risk factors without a clear differentiation of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) from PMDD. This study focuses on a sample with a wide range of premenstrual symptoms not reaching PMDD-criteria and aims to investigate within-person associations of premenstrual symptoms with daily rumination and perceived stress during the late luteal phase as well as cycle-phase specific associations of habitual mindfulness including present-moment-awareness and acceptance with premenstrual symptoms and impairment. Fifty-six naturally cycling women with self-reported premenstrual symptoms completed an online diary on premenstrual symptoms, rumination and perceived stress over two consecutive menstrual cycles, and baseline questionnaires on habitual present-moment-awareness and acceptance. Multilevel analyses revealed cycle-related variations in premenstrual symptoms and impairment (all ps < .001). Higher within-person levels of core and secondary premenstrual symptoms during the late luteal phase predicted increased daily rumination and perceived stress (all ps < .001) and increased somatic symptoms predicted increased rumination (p ≤ .018). Higher habitual present-moment-awareness was linked to lower premenstrual symptom and impairment levels toward the late luteal phase whereas higher habitual acceptance was associated with lower premenstrual functional impairment (p ≤ .015). Premenstrual symptom increases during the late luteal phase in women with PMS seem to be linked to increased daily rumination and perceived stress. Trait present-moment-awareness and acceptance in turn seem to reflect protective factors against premenstrual distress and may represent useful targets for interventions. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Mindfulness and meditation](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-mindfulness/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/)[Stigma, attitudes and culture](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-stigma-culture/) 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 Randomised trial, 2019 Does online cognitive behavioral therapy help women with PMDD? Randomised trial, 2026 Which works better for PMDD: cognitive-behavioral therapy or mindfulness-based cognitive therapy? Systematic review, 2026 Do digital tools and apps help reduce PMS and PMDD symptoms? Survey study, 2025 Is the PSST a good screening tool for PMS in Bangladesh? Systematic review, 2024 Do women with PMS or PMDD have disrupted body clocks and sleep? Case-control study, 2023 Do emotion regulation strategies help women with PMDD manage mood and stress hormones? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗