Survey study, 2026
Does being kind to yourself help reduce how negative attitudes about menstruation worsen PMS symptoms?
Being kind to yourself (self-compassion) appears to reduce the connection between negative menstrual attitudes and PMS symptoms. However, this finding comes from one study where women volunteered online, so it is not yet proven.
What they did
Cross-sectional online survey where 261 women completed questionnaires about PMS, self-compassion, and their attitudes toward menstruation.
What they found
74.7% of women had PMS and 29.5% had high negative menstrual attitudes. Common symptoms included fatigue (83.9%), swelling (81.6%), depressive moods (78.9%), irritability (79.3%), and pain (68.6%). Self-compassion and negative menstrual attitudes both predicted PMS severity. Negative attitudes affected PMS both directly and indirectly through self-compassion.
What it means for you
If you have negative thoughts about menstruation, being more self-compassionate might help reduce your PMS symptoms. However, this was a small online study of self-selected women, not a randomized trial, so we cannot be certain the effect is real or large.
261
Women surveyed
74.7%
Had PMS
29.5%
Had high negative menstrual attitudes
About the study
- Original title
- The mediating role of self-compassion in the relationship between negative menstrual attitudes and premenstrual syndrome
- Authors
- Akın Yamak Ö, Boyraz Yanık HG, Erbil N
- Journal
- Archives of women's mental health
- Year
- 2026
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 261
- What was tested
- Self-compassion training was not tested; the study measured whether existing self-compassion levels related to PMS
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1007/s00737-026-01761-8
Topics
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