---
title: Does blood flow in the brain change during PMS? | Niyora
description: Yes. A small study found that brain blood flow decreased in the temporal lobes during the premenstrual period in women with PMS, and this related to worsening
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/changes-in-cerebral-blood-flow-associated-with-premenstrual-syndrome-a-2000/
---

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- Does blood flow in the brain change during PMS?

Case-control study, 2000

# Does blood flow in the brain change during PMS?

Yes. A small study found that brain blood flow decreased in the temporal lobes during the premenstrual period in women with PMS, and this related to worsening depression.

 Early or limited evidence

7 women with PMS who sought treatment and 7 healthy control women

## What they did

Case-control study comparing 7 women with PMS to 7 healthy controls. Participants had brain scans during the premenstrual and postmenstrual periods. The researchers measured blood flow in different brain areas and depression severity.

## What they found

Brain blood flow in the temporal lobes decreased during the premenstrual period in women with PMS but not in controls. The decrease strongly correlated with depression scores (right temporal lobe r = 0.91, p < 0.01; left temporal lobe r = 0.86, p = 0.01). No changes were seen in other brain areas.

## What it means for you

PMS may involve changes in brain blood flow that relate to mood changes. The study is preliminary and limited by the small sample size (only 7 women per group), so results need confirmation in larger studies.

7

Women with PMS in study

7

Control women in study

0.91

Right temporal lobe correlation coefficient

## About the study

Original title Changes in cerebral blood flow associated with premenstrual syndrome: a preliminary study Authors Buchpiguel C, Alavi A, Crawford D et al. Journal Journal of psychosomatic obstetrics and gynaecology Year 2000 Study design Case-control study What was tested None - observational study comparing brain blood flow between periods Read the paper [doi.org/10.3109/01674820009075623](https://doi.org/10.3109/01674820009075623)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)

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Systematic review, 2026

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Study, 2026

How do women with PMDD process emotions differently in their brains?

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