Survey study, 2000
How do mood and physical symptoms change during your menstrual cycle?
Physical symptoms get worse right before and during your period. Birth control pills significantly reduced negative moods. Mood and physical symptoms are separate things that affect each other.
What they did
370 college women answered questions about their moods and symptoms. Scientists looked at whether age, birth control use, or menstrual cycle phase affected the answers.
What they found
Physical symptoms were higher during menstrual and premenstrual phases. Women taking birth control pills had significantly fewer negative moods. Age made no difference. Mood and physical symptoms were separate but linked to each other.
What it means for you
Physical symptoms peak around your period. If you are on birth control pills, you are likely to have fewer mood problems across your cycle. The study helps explain why some women do well on birth control while others might need different treatments. Mood and physical symptoms need separate approaches.
370
Women studied
About the study
- Original title
- Menstrual cycle moods and symptoms in young, healthy women: A heuristic model
- Authors
- Gregory J. Boyle
- Journal
- The Journal of multivariate experimental personality and clinical psychology.
- Year
- 2000
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 370
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.62704/10057/18884
Topics
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