Survey study, 1992
Does PMS affect how married couples get along?
Yes. Women with PMS and their husbands report worse relationship quality in the second half of the menstrual cycle, though the first half shows no difference from couples without PMS.
What they did
Cross-sectional study comparing marital relationship quality in couples where the woman has PMS versus couples where she does not. Relationships were measured during both the first and second halves of the menstrual cycle.
What they found
Couples with PMS reported similar marital satisfaction in the first half of the cycle as non-PMS couples. In the second half, couples with PMS reported worse relationships. Men and women reported similar levels of marital problems. Many women showed high ongoing psychological distress.
What it means for you
PMS may negatively affect relationships during the luteal phase. However, this was observational and many women had other sources of psychological stress, so we cannot be certain PMS alone caused the relationship problems.
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual syndrome and the marital relationship
- Authors
- Rebecca Ryser, Leslie L. Feinauer
- Journal
- American Journal of Family Therapy
- Year
- 1992
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1080/01926189208250887
Topics
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