Lab study, 1992
Do our expectations about when we are in our menstrual cycle affect what symptoms we report?
Yes. Women told they were premenstrual reported more symptoms than women told they were intermenstrual. However, women with a history of reporting many premenstrual symptoms still reported more symptoms during their actual premenstrual phase, regardless of what they were told.
What they did
Researchers told women they were either premenstrual or intermenstrual based on a fake test. They studied 48 women during their premenstrual phase in one experiment, and 82 women during either premenstrual or intermenstrual phases in a second experiment. Before the experiments, they asked women to report their past premenstrual symptoms.
What they found
Women told they were premenstrual reported more symptoms than women told they were intermenstrual. Women who had reported many premenstrual symptoms in the past reported more symptoms during their actual premenstrual phase in the lab, regardless of what the test told them.
What it means for you
Expectations can influence what symptoms you notice and report, but this doesn't mean all premenstrual symptoms are imaginary. Some women really do experience worse symptoms as they approach their period. The main limit is that this was done in a lab setting, not in real life.
48
women in first experiment
82
women in second experiment
About the study
- Original title
- Effects of Expectations and Bodily Sensations on Self-Reports of Premenstrual Symptoms
- Authors
- Pamela Kato Klebanov, John B. Jemmott
- Journal
- Psychology of Women Quarterly
- Year
- 1992
- Study design
- Lab study
- Participants
- 82
- What was tested
- Fake test feedback saying participant was premenstrual or intermenstrual
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.1992.tb00256.x
Topics
Related studies
Cohort study, 2026
What genetic factors are linked to premenstrual symptoms?
Randomised trial, 2026
Does aerobic or resistance exercise reduce anxiety in women with PMS?
Study, 2026
How do women with PMDD process emotions differently in their brains?
Systematic review, 2026
Why do some women experience mood changes linked to their menstrual cycle?
Case-control study, 2026
Do women with PMS handle emotions differently at different times of the cycle?
Survey study, 2025
Does PMDD or PMS affect quality of life?