Survey study, 2024
Does thinking style affect mood through the menstrual cycle in people with PMDD?
Yes. People with PMDD who had less repetitive negative thinking and more present-moment awareness during the late luteal phase showed better mood. Long-term thinking habits didn't protect them from premenstrual mood worsening.
What they did
Sixty women with PMDD and 60 healthy controls completed questionnaires about habitual thinking patterns. Over four days, they tracked momentary rumination, present-moment awareness, mood, and saliva cortisol during the follicular phase and again during the late luteal phase.
What they found
Women with PMDD showed mood worsening across the cycle while healthy controls showed cortisol level changes. In PMDD women, lower momentary rumination and higher present-moment awareness during the late luteal phase predicted better mood. Long-term thinking habits only helped during the follicular phase. No effects on cortisol were found. The lack of cortisol cycling in PMDD may be a biological marker.
What it means for you
For people with PMDD, moment-to-moment thinking patterns during the luteal phase may matter more than general thinking habits. This suggests brief interventions targeting late-luteal-phase thinking could help. The study cannot prove cause and effect and needs testing in larger studies.
60
women with PMDD
60
healthy controls
4
consecutive days tracked during each phase
About the study
- Original title
- State and trait cognitions differentially affect cyclicity of mood and cortisol in individuals with and without premenstrual dysphoric disorder
- Authors
- Nayman S, Schricker IF, Reinhard I et al.
- Journal
- Journal of psychopathology and clinical science
- Year
- 2024
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 60
- What was tested
- Assessment only; ambulatory tracking of thinking patterns, mood, and cortisol
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1037/abn0000894
Topics
Related studies
Cohort study, 2025
Is the stress hormone cortisol different in women with PMDD?
Case-control study, 2023
Do emotion regulation strategies help women with PMDD manage mood and stress hormones?
Survey study, 2023
How do rumination and awareness affect mood and stress hormones during the menstrual cycle in PMDD?
Cohort study, 2022
What are PMS and PMDD and how should they be diagnosed and treated?
Cohort study, 2026
Does brain structure differ between women with PMDD and healthy controls?
Study, 2022
Is there higher DNA damage from oxidative stress before your period if you have PMS or PMDD?