Study, 1990
Do religious beliefs affect how bothersome your period feels or how severe your symptoms are?
Religious background affected whether women thought their period was bothersome, but it did not clearly change how severe their actual symptoms were. Attitudes about menstruation differed by religion, but physical symptoms did not differ much.
What they did
Researchers compared menstrual attitudes and symptoms across four religious groups: 18 Orthodox Jewish women who attended Mikvah (ritual bath), 23 Orthodox Jewish women who did not attend Mikvah, 35 Protestant women, and 45 Catholic women. They adjusted their analysis for age, education, number of pregnancies, and how religious each woman was.
What they found
Among those studied, Orthodox Jewish Mikvah non-attenders and Protestant women most strongly saw menstruation as bothersome. No significant differences appeared in the actual menstrual symptoms women reported. Orthodox Jewish women were more likely to agree that menstruation makes women unclean compared to Catholic or Protestant women. For Catholic women only, negative attitudes were linked with symptom severity.
What it means for you
How you feel about your period is shaped by your religious background, but religion may not change how severe your physical symptoms actually are. Your beliefs about menstruation can affect your thoughts without changing your body's response.
45
Catholic women studied
23
Orthodox Jewish Mikvah non-attenders
18
Orthodox Jewish Mikvah attenders
About the study
- Original title
- Religious influence on menstrual attitudes and symptoms
- Authors
- Rothbaum BO, Jackson J
- Journal
- Women & health
- Year
- 1990
- Study design
- Study
- Participants
- 45
- What was tested
- None (observational)
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1300/j013v16n01_05
Topics
Related studies
Case-control study, 2026
Do women with PMS handle emotions differently at different times of the cycle?
Systematic review, 2025
Does teaching adolescent girls about their menstrual cycle and health help reduce period pain and PMS?
Cohort study, 2023
Is PMDD a valid medical diagnosis?
Systematic review, 2012
Does the menstrual cycle cause negative mood, especially before your period?
Survey study, 2011
What premenstrual symptoms do women experience around the world and how much do they affect daily life?
Randomised trial, 2006
What herbs and dietary supplements have evidence for treating premenstrual syndrome?