---
title: Do women with PMS have thinking problems that change with the menstrual cycle or persist all month?
description: Women with PMS had lasting problems with working memory and impulse control across the entire menstrual cycle, not just before their period. These problems co
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/persistent-impairment-of-executive-functions-in-premenstrual-syndrome-cause-or-2025/
---

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- Do women with PMS have thinking problems that change with the menstrual cycle or persist all month?

Survey study, 2025

# Do women with PMS have thinking problems that change with the menstrual cycle or persist all month?

Women with PMS had lasting problems with working memory and impulse control across the entire menstrual cycle, not just before their period. These problems correlated with symptom severity but not with hormone levels.

 Moderate study design

105 women aged 19-35, including 54 with PMS or PMDD and 51 controls

## What they did

Cross-sectional study of 105 women aged 19-35, with 54 having PMS or PMDD and 51 as controls. Women were tested three times across their menstrual cycle (mid-follicular, mid-luteal, and late luteal phases) using computerized tasks to measure working memory and impulse control. Hormone levels were measured from saliva samples, and menstrual symptoms were tracked across two cycles.

## What they found

Women with PMS/PMDD showed working memory deficits under high cognitive load across all cycle phases. They also had longer stop signal reaction times (slower impulse control) across all cycle phases, and these reaction times correlated with premenstrual symptom severity. There was no significant correlation between cognitive performance and gonadal hormone levels.

## What it means for you

Thinking problems in PMS may not be caused by hormone fluctuations but may be a lasting trait of the condition that affects the entire month. This could help explain why women with PMS have difficulty managing emotions and behavior. The study tested only two types of thinking skills.

105

Women tested

54

With PMS or PMDD

3

Menstrual cycle phases tested

## About the study

Original title Persistent Impairment of Executive Functions in Premenstrual Syndrome: Cause or Effect? Authors Gnaiger AM, Werlein P, Gruschwitz P et al. Journal PsyArXiv Year 2025 Study design Survey study Participants 105 What was tested None Read the paper [doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/3g9su_v1](https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/3g9su_v1)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/)

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