Randomised trial, 2018
Does reading information about negative premenstrual changes make women report more negative symptoms?
Yes. Women who read text focusing only on negative changes reported significantly more negative and fewer positive premenstrual changes than those who read balanced information or no information.
What they did
A randomized experimental study of 241 healthy university women. Women were randomly assigned to read one of three texts: one with both positive and negative premenstrual changes, one with only negative changes, or a control text. After reading, they reported premenstrual changes they had experienced.
What they found
Women who read the negative-only text reported more negative premenstrual changes and fewer positive changes compared to those who read balanced or control text. Most women reported at least one positive premenstrual change across all groups.
What it means for you
What we read about premenstrual symptoms influences what we remember about our own experience. This demonstrates the power of negative messaging about menstruation. The study used healthy women without diagnosed PMS or PMDD, so findings may not apply to those with more severe symptoms. Results rely on retrospective reporting.
241
women studied
3
groups (balanced, negative, control)
2015
study year
About the study
- Original title
- The effect of manipulated information about premenstrual changes on the report of positive and negative premenstrual changes
- Authors
- Kues JN, Janda C, Krzikalla C et al.
- Journal
- Women & health
- Year
- 2018
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- Participants
- 241
- What was tested
- Reading text describing premenstrual changes (balanced, negative-only, or control).
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1080/03630242.2016.1263274
Topics
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