--- title: Do mood swings only happen to women with PMS, or do other women get them too? description: Both groups had mood swings, but in women with PMS the low mood clustered tightly in the premenstrual days, while in women without PMS mood changes popped up url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/mood-cyclicity-in-women-with-an-without-the-premenstrual-syndrome-1989/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do mood swings only happen to women with PMS, or do other women get them too? Case-control study, 1989 # Do mood swings only happen to women with PMS, or do other women get them too? Both groups had mood swings, but in women with PMS the low mood clustered tightly in the premenstrual days, while in women without PMS mood changes popped up at random times across the cycle, not just before periods. Moderate study design 44 women who self-identified as having PMS and 48 women who self-identified as not having PMS, tracked over multiple cycles. ## What they did 44 women who said they had PMS (covering 133 menstrual cycles) and 48 women who said they did not (covering 100 cycles) kept a daily diary of seven mood states. Researchers fitted the mood patterns to a mathematical curve (a Fourier series) to compare the shape of mood changes over the cycle between the two groups. ## What they found The PMS group scored much higher on self-rated PMS at interview (62.1 vs 8.8), had mood swings in more cycles (76.7% vs 54.0%), had premenstrual tension in more cycles (69.9% vs 8.0%), had higher premenstrual tension severity scores (96.0 vs 4.1), and had a higher background mood score (31.6 vs 23.6) than the non-PMS group. ## What it means for you Mood changes are not unique to women with PMS, but in PMS the low mood is bigger and concentrated right before the period, whereas in other women it can happen at any time in the cycle. Groups were based on women's own view of whether they had PMS, not a formal diagnosis, which limits how firm these conclusions are. 69.9% vs 8.0% Cycles with premenstrual tension, PMS vs non-PMS 62.1 vs 8.8 PMS self-rating score, PMS vs non-PMS 76.7% vs 54.0% Cycles with mood swings, PMS vs non-PMS ## About the study Original title Mood cyclicity in women with an without the premenstrual syndrome Authors Metcalf MG, Livesey JH, Wells JE et al. Journal Journal of psychosomatic research Year 1989 Study design Case-control study Participants 48 What was tested No treatment tested; this compared daily mood diaries between the two groups. Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(89)90002-0](https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(89)90002-0) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/) 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 Cohort study, 2026 What genetic factors are linked to premenstrual symptoms? Study, 2026 How do women with PMDD process emotions differently in their brains? Systematic review, 2026 Why do some women experience mood changes linked to their menstrual cycle? Case-control study, 2026 Do women with PMS handle emotions differently at different times of the cycle? Systematic review, 2025 Do people with PMDD and severe PMS have difficulties with emotion regulation? Cohort study, 2025 How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗