Survey study, 1977
Do women's beliefs about their cycle phase affect how they report symptoms?
Yes. Women who believed they were premenstrual reported significantly higher physical symptoms such as water retention than women who believed they were intermenstrual, even when actual cycle phase was the same.
What they did
Experimental study where researchers separated women's beliefs about their cycle phase from their actual cycle phase, then measured symptom reports.
What they found
Women led to believe they were premenstrual reported significantly higher degrees of several physical symptoms such as water retention compared to women led to believe they were intermenstrual, despite having the same actual cycle phase.
What it means for you
Your expectations about your cycle phase can influence how you experience and report symptoms. Previous research may have overestimated the severity of premenstrual symptoms. Limitation: sample size not given, but this does not mean symptoms are not real.
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual symptoms: a reinterpretation
- Authors
- Ruble DN
- Journal
- Science (New York, N.Y.)
- Year
- 1977
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- Women were led to believe they were in different cycle phases than they actually were
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1126/science.560058