Study, 1990
Does mood or stress response change at different times of your menstrual cycle?
No clear differences were found. The study showed that mood and how blood pressure and heart rate respond to stress are similar shortly after menstruation and just before the next menstruation.
What they did
Researchers measured blood pressure and heart rate in 16 women while they solved math problems. Testing happened at two different times during the cycle: shortly after menstruation and just before the next menstruation. Men of similar age were tested on the same schedule. All participants were told the study was about moon phases so they would not think about their menstrual cycle.
What they found
There were no differences in mood between the two cycle phases. Blood pressure and heart rate responses to the stress task were also similar between the two times. Women's responses looked like men's responses.
What it means for you
The hormone changes between different cycle phases may not affect mood or the body's immediate stress response. The main limit is that only 16 women were studied, so we would need larger studies to be more confident in this finding.
16
women studied
About the study
- Original title
- Cardiovascular stress reactivity and mood during the menstrual cycle
- Authors
- Weidner G, Helmig L
- Journal
- Women & health
- Year
- 1990
- Study design
- Study
- Participants
- 16
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1300/j013v16n03_02
Topics
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