Survey study, 1995
Does marital communication change during the menstrual cycle?
Yes, according to this study, married couples reported less marital communication during the premenstrual phase than the postmenstrual phase. More severe premenstrual symptoms were linked with even less communication. However, this was a small study in Mexico only.
What they did
Researchers studied 35 Mexican married couples. Women were ages 35 to 40, men were ages 32 to 51, and they had been married 5 to 19 years. Women completed a menstrual symptoms questionnaire during two consecutive cycles. Both spouses completed a marital communications questionnaire during each cycle, once during the premenstrual phase and once during the postmenstrual phase.
What they found
Marital communication decreased during the premenstrual period compared to the postmenstrual phase. The severity of a woman's premenstrual symptoms correlated with reduced marital communication reported by both partners, though the effect was stronger for women.
What it means for you
Premenstrual symptoms can affect couple relationships, even in women who don't have a PMDD diagnosis. Even mild symptoms that women may not think matter can reduce communication with their partner. However, this was a small study of Mexican couples only, so the findings may not apply universally.
35
Number of couples studied
35-40 and 32-51
Age range of women and men
5-19 years
Duration of marriage
About the study
- Original title
- [Marital communication and premenstrual symptoms]
- Authors
- Marván ML, Martínez Millán ML
- Journal
- Acta psiquiatrica y psicologica de America latina
- Year
- 1995
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- None - observational study
- Read the paper
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7660842/
Topics
Related studies
Systematic review, 2026
What is it like for women to live with PMS or PMDD?
Systematic review, 2025
Is there a link between stress, trauma, and premenstrual symptoms?
Cohort study, 2025
Is there a link between premenstrual disorders and autoimmune disease?
Cohort study, 2024
Do women with severe premenstrual disorders have higher risk of relationship breakup?
Cohort study, 2024
Is there a link between sleep and menstrual problems in teenage girls?
Randomised trial, 2023
Does taking sertraline when PMDD symptoms start improve how well women function?