Study, 1984
Does the menstrual cycle affect how fast women think and react?
Women using oral contraceptives reacted noticeably slower than women not using contraceptives during their menstrual and premenstrual phases. The cycle's effects on thinking speed varied between the first and second menstrual cycles studied.
What they did
8 women (4 with normal menstrual cycles and 4 using oral contraceptives) were tracked weekly for 2 menstrual cycles. Researchers measured blood pressure, heart rate, skin temperature, pulse amplitude, and how quickly women reacted to verbal tasks.
What they found
Women using oral contraceptives reacted slower than women not using contraceptives during their menstrual and premenstrual phases. In the first cycle, all women reacted slower during their menstrual and ovulatory phases, but this pattern did not appear in the second cycle. During the postovulatory phase of the second cycle, women not using contraceptives showed a much greater increase in skin temperature than women using contraceptives.
What it means for you
The menstrual cycle appears to affect how quickly women think and react, and oral contraceptives may change these effects. However, the effects differed between cycles, suggesting they are complex. Limited by very small sample size (only 8 women) and short duration of tracking.
8
women total
4
women using oral contraceptives
2
menstrual cycles tracked
About the study
- Original title
- The menstrual cycle from a bio-behavioral approach: a comparison of oral contraceptive and non-contraceptive users
- Authors
- Garrett KF, Elder ST
- Journal
- International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology
- Year
- 1984
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- Comparison of oral contraceptive users and non-users
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/0167-8760(84)90039-4