--- title: What is it like for women to experience their body during the premenstrual phase? description: Women describe their premenstrual bodies in negative ways, feeling fat, leaking, and dirty. They check and hide their bodies more during this time. This conne url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/mapping-the-abject-women-s-embodied-experiences-of-premenstrual-body-2022/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - What is it like for women to experience their body during the premenstrual phase? Interview study, 2022 # What is it like for women to experience their body during the premenstrual phase? Women describe their premenstrual bodies in negative ways, feeling fat, leaking, and dirty. They check and hide their bodies more during this time. This connects to cultural ideas about what female bodies should be. Early or limited evidence 460 women completed survey questions; 16 women participated in body-mapping and interviews ## What they did Researchers asked 460 women online to describe their experience of their body before their period. Then 16 of these women participated in body-mapping, where they drew and labelled pictures of their bodies, and in interviews about the images. Researchers analysed the interviews and pictures for common themes. ## What they found Three main patterns appeared. First, women described their premenstrual bodies in negative ways, feeling fat, leaking, and dirty. Second, women looked at their bodies more carefully and hid them more during the premenstrual phase. Third, women sometimes resisted cultural ideas about how female bodies should look. Body shame and dissatisfaction clearly increased before menstruation. ## What it means for you How women feel about their bodies changes across the menstrual cycle, getting worse before their period. This premenstrual body dissatisfaction causes real distress. Cultural messages about female bodies play a role. We need more research to understand how body-focused behaviours like mirror-checking or avoiding being seen affect PMS distress, as this could point to ways to help. 460 women completed initial survey 16 women participated in body-mapping and interviews 3 main themes identified ## About the study Original title Mapping the abject: Women's embodied experiences of premenstrual body dissatisfaction through body-mapping Authors Samantha Ryan, Jane Maria Ussher, Alexandra Hawkey Journal Feminism & Psychology Year 2022 Study design Interview study Participants 16 What was tested None; study explored women's lived experiences using qualitative arts-based methods. Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1177/09593535211069290](https://doi.org/10.1177/09593535211069290) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[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 Case-control study, 2026 Do women with PMS handle emotions differently at different times of the cycle? Systematic review, 2025 Does teaching adolescent girls about their menstrual cycle and health help reduce period pain and PMS? Cohort study, 2023 Is PMDD a valid medical diagnosis? Systematic review, 2012 Does the menstrual cycle cause negative mood, especially before your period? Survey study, 2011 What premenstrual symptoms do women experience around the world and how much do they affect daily life? Randomised trial, 2006 What herbs and dietary supplements have evidence for treating premenstrual syndrome? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗