Survey study, 1979
Do moods and enjoyment of activities change during the menstrual cycle?
When healthy women kept daily records, there were no clear changes in mood or enjoyment of activities during different cycle phases. But when they looked back on a monthly questionnaire about menstrual distress, they reported the typical cycle-related differences.
What they did
Thirty-three healthy women with normal cycles not on birth control filled out daily mood records and activity logs. Once a month they completed a questionnaire about menstrual distress. Researchers compared the daily records with the monthly questionnaire.
What they found
Daily records from the 33 women showed no changes in mood or enjoyment of activities during different cycle phases. The monthly questionnaire showed the typical cycle-related differences that other studies find.
What it means for you
When women record their moods day-to-day, they do not show clear changes during the cycle. But when asked to look back over the month, they report distress. This suggests looking back might not be as reliable as daily records. Main limits: small sample of healthy women, and only mood and enjoyment measured.
33
Healthy women studied
8
Categories of daily activities measured
About the study
- Original title
- Psychoendocrinology of the menstrual cycle: I. Enjoyment of daily activities and moods
- Authors
- Abplanalp JM, Donnelly AF, Rose RM
- Journal
- Psychosomatic medicine
- Year
- 1979
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1097/00006842-197912000-00001
Topics
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