Study, 1989
Do women with PMS think differently from women without PMS?
No. Women with PMS do not show the changes in thinking that typically happen with depression, even though they have significant mood symptoms.
What they did
10 women with PMS and 9 women without PMS completed psychological tests, memory tests, and brain performance tests during two phases of their menstrual cycle (follicular and luteal).
What they found
Women with PMS did not show the thinking changes that usually occur with depression. There were no clear differences in psychological tests, memory, or brain performance between women with PMS and without PMS.
What it means for you
PMS affects mood but may not change how the brain processes information the way depression does. Women with PMS may experience difficult feelings without the thinking and memory problems that depression usually brings. However, the sample was very small.
10
women with PMS
9
women without PMS
About the study
- Original title
- Mood and cognitive style in premenstrual syndrome
- Authors
- Rapkin AJ, Chang LC, Reading AE
- Journal
- Obstetrics and gynecology
- Year
- 1989
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- None. Researchers compared thinking tests between groups.
- Read the paper
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2797641/
Topics
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