--- title: Do women with PMDD experience emotions differently than other women? description: Only women with PMDD showed important changes in how they experienced unpleasant emotions and anxiety. The ability to recognize emotions in faces also depende url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/emotional-experience-and-recognition-across-menstrual-cycle-and-in-premenstrual-2017/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do women with PMDD experience emotions differently than other women? Study, 2017 # Do women with PMDD experience emotions differently than other women? Only women with PMDD showed important changes in how they experienced unpleasant emotions and anxiety. The ability to recognize emotions in faces also depended on whether the face was male or female. Early or limited evidence Women at different points of the menstrual cycle, including some with PMDD ## What they did Researchers measured mood and the ability to recognize emotions in female and male faces at four different points of the menstrual cycle (post-menstrual, ovulatory, post-ovulatory, and premenstrual). They also studied a separate group of women with PMDD during the premenstrual phase. ## What they found Only women with PMDD showed clear changes in unpleasant emotions and anxiety. All women recognized happiness and disgust best in faces, followed by surprise and sadness. Fear and anger were hardest to recognize. Happiness and surprise were recognized better on female faces, while fear and anger were recognized better on male faces. Women in the ovulatory phase and women with PMDD were better at recognizing sadness on male faces. ## What it means for you PMDD may change how women experience emotions and affect how they read feelings from other people's faces. The main limit is that the abstract does not state how many women were studied. 4 menstrual cycle phases studied ## About the study Original title Emotional Experience and Recognition across Menstrual Cycle and in Premenstrual Disorder Authors Julieta Ramos‐Loyo, Araceli Sanz‐Martin Journal International Journal of Psychological Studies Year 2017 Study design Study What was tested None—this was observational Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.5539/ijps.v9n4p33](https://doi.org/10.5539/ijps.v9n4p33) Original abstract The aim of this study was to determine if differences exist in mood and in the recognition of female and male emotional faces among women in different phases of the menstrual cycle, and in women who suffer from Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) in the premenstrual phase. Both the emotional states and the recognition of female and male emotional faces were assessed in women in each phase of the menstrual cycle: post-menstrual, ovulatory, post-ovulatory and premenstrual. Also evaluated was a group of women who presented symptoms of PMDD during the premenstrual phase. Only the women with PMDD showed significant changes in levels of unpleasant emotions and anxiety. Regardless of group, the highest accuracy was observed for recognition of happiness and disgust, followed by surprise and sadness. The lowest level of recognition was seen for fear and anger. In addition, expressions of happiness and surprise were recognized better on female faces, while fearful and angry expressions were recognized better on male faces. Finally, women in the ovulatory phase and those with PMDD showed higher accuracy when recognizing sadness on male faces. These results suggest that only women with PMDD presented important differences in their emotional experience compared to the other groups. Finally, the gender of the emotion emitter was a factor that affected the recognition of emotions, an effect that was seen to interact slightly with the menstrual cycle phase. 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/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Irritability and anger](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-irritability-anger/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/) 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, 2025 Does escitalopram improve attention and reduce impulsivity in women with premenstrual irritability and anger? Cohort study, 2022 What are PMS and PMDD and how should they be diagnosed and treated? Case-control study, 2012 Do women with PMDD have working memory problems linked to concentration and irritability? Survey study, 2023 How common are PMS and PMDD among college girls, and what are their symptoms? Survey study, 2020 What symptoms best predict whether PMDD will seriously affect daily life? Review, 2015 What do we know about PMS and PMDD and how are they treated? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗