---
title: Does premenstrual syndrome make bulimia symptoms, like binge eating, worse at certain times of the month?
description: No. The study found a premenstrual pattern of mood and physical changes in some women with bulimia, but these changes were not linked to changes in binge eati
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-symptoms-of-bulimia-and-the-menstrual-cycle-1986/
---

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- Does premenstrual syndrome make bulimia symptoms, like binge eating, worse at certain times of the month?

Survey study, 1986

# Does premenstrual syndrome make bulimia symptoms, like binge eating, worse at certain times of the month?

No. The study found a premenstrual pattern of mood and physical changes in some women with bulimia, but these changes were not linked to changes in binge eating or other food-related behaviors.

 Early or limited evidence

45 women diagnosed with bulimia under DSM-III criteria.

## What they did

Researchers followed 45 women who met strict diagnostic criteria for bulimia for 9 weeks. Each day the women recorded their symptoms without knowing the study's hypotheses, so their answers would not be biased.

## What they found

Eight of the 45 women showed a premenstrual pattern of mood and physical complaints, but these changes were unrelated to changes in binging or other eating problem behaviors. Separately, 10 women (22.2%) showed a cyclothymic behavior pattern, and this group tended to have an earlier age of onset of bulimia.

## What it means for you

For these women, premenstrual mood changes and bulimia symptoms seemed to run on separate tracks rather than one driving the other. The study was small, had no comparison group of women without bulimia, and only looked at 9 weeks, so it cannot show whether this holds true more broadly or over longer time.

45

Women followed

8

Women with premenstrual pattern

22.2%

Women with cyclothymic pattern

## About the study

Original title The symptoms of bulimia and the menstrual cycle Authors Leon GR, Phelan PW, Kelly JT et al. Journal Psychosomatic medicine Year 1986 Study design Survey study Participants 45 What was tested No treatment tested; daily self-recording of mood, physical symptoms, and eating behavior over 9 weeks. Read the paper [doi.org/10.1097/00006842-198607000-00003](https://doi.org/10.1097/00006842-198607000-00003)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Eating disorders](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-eating-disorders/)

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Study, 2023

How are eating disorders and premenstrual symptoms connected?

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