---
title: Do women with PMS have different stress hormone levels during their menstrual cycle?
description: Women with PMS had higher evening aldosterone levels during the early luteal phase compared to women without PMS, and these levels correlated with symptom fre
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/steroid-stress-hormone-changes-throughout-the-menstrual-cycle-a-rise-in-evening-2021/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- Do women with PMS have different stress hormone levels during their menstrual cycle?

Case-control study, 2021

# Do women with PMS have different stress hormone levels during their menstrual cycle?

Women with PMS had higher evening aldosterone levels during the early luteal phase compared to women without PMS, and these levels correlated with symptom frequency. Cortisol levels did not differ between the groups.

 Moderate study design

99 women (49 with PMS, 50 without PMS)

## What they did

A prospective case-control study comparing 49 women with PMS to 50 women without PMS. Saliva samples were collected at three points in the menstrual cycle: the follicular phase (day 8), early luteal phase (day 20), and late luteal phase (2 days before expected bleeding). Both morning and evening samples were taken at each point.

## What they found

Salivary aldosterone concentrations were significantly higher in women with PMS during the early luteal phase in the evening (p < .01) compared to controls. Higher aldosterone levels in the early luteal phase positively correlated with the frequency of premenstrual symptoms. Women with PMS showed a flatter morning-to-evening aldosterone slope (p < .05). Morning and evening cortisol levels remained unchanged throughout the menstrual cycle in both groups.

## What it means for you

Evening aldosterone may be a biomarker that could help predict or diagnose PMS, as it rises in the early luteal phase in women with PMS. The main limitation is that this is observational rather than an intervention study, so we cannot know whether lowering aldosterone would improve symptoms.

49

women with PMS

50

women without PMS

p < .01

significance of higher evening aldosterone

## About the study

Original title Steroid stress hormone changes throughout the menstrual cycle: A rise in evening aldosterone concentration in early luteal phase precedes the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome Authors Izakova L, Hlavacova N, Jezova D Journal Journal of neuroendocrinology Year 2021 Study design Case-control study Participants 99 What was tested None Read the paper [doi.org/10.1111/jne.13043](https://doi.org/10.1111/jne.13043)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)

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

Cohort study, 2021

Are low antioxidant vitamins or high oxidative stress linked to premenstrual syndrome?

Randomised trial, 2019

Does online cognitive behavioral therapy help women with PMDD?

Review, 2003

How do menstrual cycle hormones affect the brain and cause mood disorders like PMDD?

Systematic review, 2026

Can mindfulness, yoga or qigong help with PMS symptoms?

Survey study, 2025

Do menstrual problems and poor sleep affect mood and thinking in teenage girls?

Cohort study, 2025

Do pain sensitivity and negative thinking explain how trauma and stress cause PMS or PMDD?

Ask AI about this page

Copy prompt

ChatGPT

↗

Claude

↗

Perplexity

↗

Google AI Mode

↗

Grok

↗