---
title: Does mood change during the menstrual cycle? | Niyora
description: No clear difference in mood was found across the menstrual cycle. Instead, the day of the week mattered much more. Both men and women had better mood on weeke
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/women-and-their-husbands-mood-and-arousal-fluctuations-across-the-menstrual-1989/
---

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- Does mood change during the menstrual cycle?

Survey study, 1989

# Does mood change during the menstrual cycle?

No clear difference in mood was found across the menstrual cycle. Instead, the day of the week mattered much more. Both men and women had better mood on weekends.

 Early or limited evidence

9 women and their spouses

## What they did

Cross-sectional study. 9 women and their spouses reported on their mood and arousal daily for 90 days, covering different phases of the menstrual cycle.

## What they found

When looking at menstrual cycle phases, men's arousal was higher during their wives' menstrual period compared to the follicular phase. Both men and women had better mood on weekends. The day of the week accounted for more variation in mood than the menstrual cycle.

## What it means for you

Social factors like the day of the week appear to affect mood much more than biology. This was a very small study with only 9 women and does not prove causation.

9

women in study

90

days of tracking

## About the study

Original title Women and their husbands: mood and arousal fluctuations across the menstrual cycle and days of the week Authors Mansfield PK, Hood KE, Henderson J Journal Psychosomatic medicine Year 1989 Study design Survey study Read the paper [doi.org/10.1097/00006842-198901000-00007](https://doi.org/10.1097/00006842-198901000-00007)

## Topics

[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/)

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