--- title: Does how well women think change throughout their menstrual cycle? description: No. Across 3,943 women in 102 studies with 730 comparisons, there was no clear evidence that thinking, memory, creativity, problem-solving, coordination, spat url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/menstrual-cycle-effects-on-cognitive-performance-a-meta-analysis-2025/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does how well women think change throughout their menstrual cycle? Systematic review, 2025 # Does how well women think change throughout their menstrual cycle? No. Across 3,943 women in 102 studies with 730 comparisons, there was no clear evidence that thinking, memory, creativity, problem-solving, coordination, spatial ability, or verbal ability changed across the menstrual cycle. Strong study design 3,943 women across 102 studies examining thinking ability ## What they did They reviewed and combined 102 studies measuring women's performance on thinking tasks at different points in their menstrual cycle. Tasks included attention, creativity, problem-solving, intelligence, coordination, spatial ability, and verbal ability. ## What they found Across 730 comparisons, there was no clear evidence that how well women performed on thinking tasks differed across cycle phases. Speed and accuracy were examined separately within each domain and no differences appeared. Two results on spatial ability appeared significant but did not hold up in better-designed studies. ## What it means for you This shows that common myths about women's thinking abilities changing through the menstrual cycle are not supported by evidence. The main limit is that many studies used different and inconsistent ways of determining where women actually were in their cycle. 3943 Women studied across all 102 studies 102 Studies reviewed in the analysis 730 Individual comparisons of performance across cycle phases ## About the study Original title Menstrual cycle effects on cognitive performance: A meta-analysis Authors Jang D, Zhang J, Elfenbein HA Journal PloS one Year 2025 Study design Systematic review What was tested None - observational studies measuring performance at different cycle phases Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0318576](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0318576) Original abstract Does a woman's cognitive performance change throughout her menstrual cycle? Menstruation continues to be a taboo topic, subject to myths about how it affects women. Despite the considerable number of empirical studies, there have been few quantitative summaries of what is known. To address this gap, we conducted a meta-analysis of cognitive performance across the menstrual cycle, including the domains of attention, creativity, executive functioning, intelligence, motor function, spatial ability, and verbal ability. We included studies that measured women's performance at specific points in the cycle for tasks that have objectively correct responses. Our analysis examined performance differences across phases using Hedges' g as the effect size metric. Across 102 articles, N = 3,943 participants, and 730 comparisons, we observe no systematic robust evidence for significant cycle shifts in performance across cognitive performance. Although two results appeared significant with respect to differences in spatial ability, they arise from a large number of statistical tests and are not supported in studies that use robust methods to determine cycle phase. Through the use of Egger's test, and examination of funnel plots, we did not observe evidence of publication bias or small-study effects. We examined speed and accuracy measures separately within each domain, and no robust differences across phases appeared for either speed or accuracy. We conclude that the body of research in this meta-analysis does not support myths that women's cognitive abilities change across the menstrual cycle. Future research should use larger sample sizes and consistent definitions of the menstrual cycle, using hormonal indicators to confirm cycle phase. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[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. 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