---
title: Do women experience mood disturbance before their period, as premenstrual syndrome suggests?
description: Most women (86%) reported having premenstrual symptoms, but this study found no clear evidence of mood disturbance in the menstrual cycle phase when PMS typic
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/pms-moods-measurements-and-interpretations-2001/
---

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- Do women experience mood disturbance before their period, as premenstrual syndrome suggests?

Survey study, 2001

# Do women experience mood disturbance before their period, as premenstrual syndrome suggests?

Most women (86%) reported having premenstrual symptoms, but this study found no clear evidence of mood disturbance in the menstrual cycle phase when PMS typically occurs.

 Early or limited evidence

213 women and 73 men.

## What they did

213 women and 73 men completed questionnaires measuring their positive and negative mood on a specific day and in general. Women tracked when their last period started using a diary.

## What they found

86% of women reported some degree of PMS. However, there was no evidence of mood disturbance in the data that matched PMS patterns, suggesting women's reported PMS mood changes did not appear in their measured mood.

## What it means for you

Even though most women think they have PMS mood symptoms, this study did not detect the expected mood changes. Women may overestimate PMS mood symptoms, or the questionnaire may not have captured the changes. The study is limited because it did not control for how much mood naturally varies between people.

213

women

86%

reported premenstrual symptoms

73

men

## About the study

Original title PMS: Moods, measurements and interpretations Authors Jacqueline Reilly, John Kremer Journal The Irish Journal of Psychology Year 2001 Study design Survey study Participants 213 What was tested None - questionnaire-based survey. Read the paper [doi.org/10.1080/03033910.2001.10558270](https://doi.org/10.1080/03033910.2001.10558270)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-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

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What genetic factors are linked to premenstrual symptoms?

Randomised trial, 2026

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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?

Survey study, 2025

Does PMDD or PMS affect quality of life?

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