Cohort study, 1999
Does PMDD affect mood, memory and thinking differently across the menstrual cycle?
Mood got worse in the luteal (premenstrual) phase for women with PMDD, but memory and thinking problems in that phase happened in both PMDD and non-PMDD women equally, based on this very small study.
What they did
Researchers tested 10 women with PMDD and 10 age-matched women without PMDD on mood, memory, and thinking tasks during both the follicular and luteal phases of their cycles, in a randomized order.
What they found
A standard depression scale (the BDI) was significantly higher in the luteal phase only for women with PMDD, not for controls. Working memory was worse in the luteal phase for both groups, with no significant difference between PMDD and control women.
What it means for you
A common mood questionnaire does pick up on premenstrual mood changes in PMDD, but the memory dip around this time of the cycle seems to happen to most women, not just those with PMDD. The sample was very small (10 per group), so results need confirming in bigger studies.
n=10
women with PMDD studied
n=10
control women studied
About the study
- Original title
- Mood, neuropsychological function and cognitions in premenstrual dysphoric disorder
- Authors
- Man MS, MacMillan I, Scott J et al.
- Journal
- Psychological medicine
- Year
- 1999
- Study design
- Cohort study
- Participants
- 10
- What was tested
- No treatment tested; mood and cognitive tests were compared across cycle phases
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1017/s0033291798007715
Topics
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