--- title: Do stress-sensitive women respond to stress differently across the menstrual cycle? description: Women with high stress sensitivity show stronger stress responses during menstruation than women with low stress sensitivity, but not at other cycle phases. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/variation-in-the-stress-response-between-high-and-low-neuroticism-female-2013/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do stress-sensitive women respond to stress differently across the menstrual cycle? Survey study, 2013 # Do stress-sensitive women respond to stress differently across the menstrual cycle? Women with high stress sensitivity show stronger stress responses during menstruation than women with low stress sensitivity, but not at other cycle phases. Early or limited evidence Female college students with high and low stress sensitivity ## What they did Female college students with high and low stress sensitivity were tested during three cycle phases: menstruation, luteal, and ovulatory. They did a stressful task, naming colors of words on a computer, while researchers measured skin response, heart rate, and heart rate patterns. ## What they found During menstruation, women with high stress sensitivity had faster reaction times on the task than women with low stress sensitivity. This difference did not appear in luteal or ovulatory phases. During menstruation, women with high stress sensitivity showed lower skin response than in other phases. ## What it means for you Stress sensitivity and the menstrual cycle both affect stress responses, with the strongest effect during menstruation. The study only included college students, so results may not apply to older women or different populations. 3 phases Menstruation, luteal, ovulatory Stroop task Stress test used menstruation Strongest effect here ## About the study Original title Variation in the stress response between high- and low-neuroticism female undergraduates across the menstrual cycle Authors Liu Q, Zhou R, Oei TP et al. Journal Stress (Amsterdam, Netherlands) Year 2013 Study design Survey study What was tested None - observed stress responses across cycle phases Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.3109/10253890.2013.797958](https://doi.org/10.3109/10253890.2013.797958) ## Topics [Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Anxiety disorders and OCD](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-anxiety-disorders/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Randomised trial, 2026 Which works better for PMDD: cognitive-behavioral therapy or mindfulness-based cognitive therapy? Lab study, 2020 Does anxiety sensitivity change during different parts of the menstrual cycle? Survey study, 2019 How common is PMDD in teenage girls? Study, 1976 Do mood and body changes happen at the same time in the menstrual cycle? Survey study, 2026 How common is PMS and PMDD in Pakistan and how do they relate to mental health? Non-randomised trial, 2024 Does cognitive-behavioral or mindfulness stress management help reduce PMS in high school girls? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗