--- title: Does stress from PMS change the chemistry of women's breath? | Niyora description: Yes. Women with PMS have higher levels of volatile sulfur compounds (which cause bad breath) during the premenstrual phase than women without PMS (P < 0.05), url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/relationship-between-stressful-situations-salivary-flow-rate-and-oral-volatile-2002/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does stress from PMS change the chemistry of women's breath? Case-control study, 2002 # Does stress from PMS change the chemistry of women's breath? Yes. Women with PMS have higher levels of volatile sulfur compounds (which cause bad breath) during the premenstrual phase than women without PMS (P < 0.05), and this is not simply explained by less saliva production. Early or limited evidence 71 undergraduate dental students in Study 1; 50 women (23 with PMS, 27 without) in Study 2 ## What they did Two studies. Study 1: Researchers measured breath chemistry in 71 dental students one week before an exam, on exam day, and one week after. Study 2: They measured breath and saliva in 50 women (23 with PMS, 27 without) at three points in their menstrual cycle: non-menstrual, premenstrual, and menstrual phases. ## What they found During the exam, volatile sulfur compounds increased significantly and saliva flow decreased compared with baseline. In the PMS study, women with PMS had higher volatile sulfur compound concentrations during the premenstrual stage than women without PMS (P < 0.05). However, salivary flow did not differ significantly between the two groups. ## What it means for you Stress related to PMS affects mouth chemistry in ways that could cause bad breath. This effect is not simply due to less saliva. The exact biological mechanism is not yet clear. This is a relatively small study. 71 dental students in exam study 50 women (23 with PMS, 27 without) P < 0.05 significance of higher VSCs in premenstrual phase ## About the study Original title Relationship between stressful situations, salivary flow rate and oral volatile sulfur-containing compounds Authors Queiroz CS, Hayacibara MF, Tabchoury CP et al. Journal European journal of oral sciences Year 2002 Study design Case-control study Participants 50 What was tested None. Researchers measured natural responses to psychological stress. Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0722.2002.21320.x](https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0722.2002.21320.x) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/) 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 Survey study, 2026 What dietary, lifestyle, and psychological factors are associated with PMS in young women? Survey study, 2026 Is academic stress linked to PMS severity in university students? Survey study, 2025 What psychological and personal factors predict which university students will develop premenstrual syndrome? Survey study, 2025 Is PMS connected to mental health problems and lifestyle choices? Survey study, 2025 Are premenstrual dysphoric disorder symptoms, stress, and sleep quality linked in female nursing students? Survey study, 2023 Does eating more fiber help reduce PMS symptoms? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗