---
title: Does speaking become less fluent before your period? | Niyora
description: Yes, in this small study women had noticeably more speech disfluencies (stumbles, restarts) just before their period than at ovulation.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/speech-fluency-fluctuations-during-the-menstrual-cycle-1975/
---

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- Does speaking become less fluent before your period?

Survey study, 1975

# Does speaking become less fluent before your period?

Yes, in this small study women had noticeably more speech disfluencies (stumbles, restarts) just before their period than at ovulation.

 Early or limited evidence

12 women without a stuttering history, studied over two menstrual cycles

## What they did

Researchers recorded 4 short spontaneous speech samples from each of 12 women, timed to ovulation and to premenstruation, across two menstrual cycles, and counted the types and number of speech disfluencies.

## What they found

The total number of speech disfluencies was significantly greater at premenstruation than at ovulation. Most of this difference came from one type of disfluency: revising or restarting an incomplete phrase. The pattern looked similar to a tendency seen in people who stutter.

## What it means for you

This suggests the premenstrual phase may affect how smoothly women speak, not just mood or body symptoms. The study is very small (12 women) and old (1975), so it cannot tell us how common or large this effect is in general.

12

Number of women studied

4

Speech samples per woman

2

Cycle timepoints compared

## About the study

Original title Speech fluency fluctuations during the menstrual cycle Authors Silverman EM Journal Journal of speech and hearing research Year 1975 Study design Survey study Participants 12 Read the paper [doi.org/10.1044/jshr.1801.202](https://doi.org/10.1044/jshr.1801.202)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)

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

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Systematic review, 2026

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Case-control study, 2026

Do women with PMS handle emotions differently at different times of the cycle?

Survey study, 2025

Does PMDD or PMS affect quality of life?

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