---
title: Does feeling in control of anxiety affect how severe PMS symptoms feel?
description: Possibly yes. Women who felt they had less control over anxiety reported worse PMS symptoms, regardless of which cycle phase they were in. This link was stron
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-role-of-perceived-control-over-anxiety-in-prospective-symptom-reports-across-2015/
---

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- Does feeling in control of anxiety affect how severe PMS symptoms feel?

Case-control study, 2015

# Does feeling in control of anxiety affect how severe PMS symptoms feel?

Possibly yes. Women who felt they had less control over anxiety reported worse PMS symptoms, regardless of which cycle phase they were in. This link was stronger than another anxiety measure studied.

 Early or limited evidence

49 women aged 18 to 47 years, each tracked for one menstrual cycle

## What they did

A case-control study of 49 women aged 18-47. Each woman tracked her menstrual symptoms for one complete cycle and answered a questionnaire about how much control she felt she had over anxiety-related events during both the follicular phase (early cycle) and premenstrual phase (late cycle).

## What they found

Women with lower perceived control over anxiety reported greater menstrual symptom severity, and this held true regardless of which phase of the cycle they were in. Perceived control over anxiety was a stronger predictor of symptom severity than another measure of anxiety (anxiety sensitivity).

## What it means for you

How much control you feel you have over anxiety might influence how severe your PMS symptoms seem. However, this study only shows a connection between the two, not that low control causes worse symptoms. The study was small and tracked women for only one cycle.

49

women studied

18-47

age range

1

menstrual cycle tracked

## About the study

Original title The role of perceived control over anxiety in prospective symptom reports across the menstrual cycle Authors Mahon JN, Rohan KJ, Nillni YI et al. Journal Archives of women's mental health Year 2015 Study design Case-control study Participants 49 What was tested None; the study measured perceived control of anxiety but tested no intervention Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1007/s00737-014-0456-1](https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-014-0456-1)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Anxiety disorders and OCD](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-anxiety-disorders/)

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## Related studies

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Do mental health disorders get worse during the menstrual cycle?

Cohort study, 1993

How common are premenstrual and menstrual symptoms in women?

Study, 2026

Do anxiety and depression get worse before your period if you already have a mental health condition?

Study, 2026

What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder?

Cohort study, 2020

Are women with PMDD more likely to have generalized anxiety disorder?

Lab study, 2020

Does anxiety sensitivity change during different parts of the menstrual cycle?

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