Survey study, 2018
Do women with PMS really experience mood and behavior changes linked to their menstrual cycle?
No. This small study found no evidence of mood or behavior changes linked to the menstrual cycle, suggesting retrospective questionnaires may overestimate PMS.
What they did
Nine women who reported PMS on a retrospective questionnaire (PSST) tracked their mood and social behavior for 2 menstrual cycles using smartphone app TEMPEST. After each social interaction, they recorded how they felt and how they behaved.
What they found
No evidence of menstrual cyclicity in negative affect, positive affect, quarrelsomeness, or agreeableness appeared in any of the 9 individual women during the 2-month tracking period. Women rated the TEMPEST app positively.
What it means for you
Asking women to remember their symptoms may not be reliable and may lead to overdiagnosis of PMS. This was a very small study with only 9 women and no comparison group, so findings are uncertain and cannot be generalized.
9
Number of women
2
Menstrual cycles tracked
About the study
- Original title
- No Menstrual Cyclicity in Mood and Interpersonal Behaviour in Nine Women with Self-Reported Premenstrual Syndrome
- Authors
- Bosman RC, Albers CJ, de Jong J et al.
- Journal
- Psychopathology
- Year
- 2018
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 9
- What was tested
- None; prospective mood and behavior tracking
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1159/000489268
Topics
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