Study, 1983
Do women with premenstrual syndrome have different psychological patterns than other women?
A small study found that women with diagnosed premenstrual syndrome had anxiety and depression appearing only in the second half of their menstrual cycle, while women without PMS did not. This suggests true PMS may differ from other menstrual symptoms.
What they did
Researchers measured menstrual distress, anxiety, and depression in 15 women with premenstrual syndrome and 5 women without PMS. They tracked these measures across the menstrual cycle.
What they found
Women with PMS showed increased psychological symptoms specifically in the second half of the menstrual cycle. Women without PMS did not show this cycle-related pattern. Interestingly, women without PMS had higher overall anxiety levels than both the PMS group and control women.
What it means for you
The pattern of psychological symptoms appearing only in the second half of the cycle may help identify true PMS. The main limitation is the very small sample size: only 15 women with PMS and 5 without.
15
women with premenstrual syndrome
5
women without premenstrual syndrome
second half
of cycle when PMS symptoms appeared
About the study
- Original title
- Psychological aspects of premenstrual symptoms
- Authors
- Ellen M. Goudsmit
- Journal
- Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Year
- 1983
- Study design
- Study
- Participants
- 15
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.3109/01674828309081251
Topics
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