--- title: Menstrual cycle and mood: 1534 studies, explained | Niyora description: 1534 studies on menstrual cycle and mood and PMS or PMDD, each summarised in plain English: what was tested, who took part, what they found and what it means. url: https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Menstrual cycle and mood # Menstrual cycle and mood: what the research says 1534 studies on menstrual cycle and mood in PMS and PMDD, each explained in plain English. 68 of them use the strongest designs: randomised trials and systematic reviews. Survey study 623 Study 224 Randomised trial 138 Cohort study 125 Case-control study 102 Review 93 Cohort study, 2026 What genetic factors are linked to premenstrual symptoms? One genetic location on chromosome 12 was clearly associated with PMS. The genetic factors linked to PMS are also linked to depression. Systematic review, 2026 Do brain wave patterns change across the menstrual cycle? Yes. Brain wave patterns shift across the cycle. Certain waves decrease and others increase around ovulation in a pattern that suggests sharper thinking and better emotional well-being. These changes could help detect hormone-sensitive mood disorders. Randomised trial, 2026 Does aerobic or resistance exercise reduce anxiety in women with PMS? Both aerobic and resistance exercise reduced anxiety and improved emotional control in women with PMS. Resistance exercise was superior to aerobic exercise for reducing anxiety. Study, 2026 How do women with PMDD process emotions differently in their brains? Women with PMDD show increased activity in emotion-processing brain networks, especially during the luteal phase, and this baseline difference even appears in the follicular phase and relates to symptom severity. Systematic review, 2026 Can digital tools help diagnose PMDD? Digital tools show promise for diagnosing PMDD by helping you track symptoms, but most need more testing and better integration with healthcare systems before they're widely used. Systematic review, 2026 Why do some women experience mood changes linked to their menstrual cycle? Evidence shows these women have normal hormone levels but heightened sensitivity in their brains and cells to hormone changes. This explains PMDD and some postpartum and perimenopausal mood problems, and has led to new treatments. Cohort study, 2026 Does sleeping longer improve mood and fitness in elite athletes? Yes. Sleeping longer was linked to better mood and fitness across all athletes, regardless of menstrual cycle status. Sleeping less than 8 hours was linked to below-average mood and fitness. Case-control study, 2026 Do women with PMS handle emotions differently at different times of the cycle? Yes. Women with PMS tend to use emotion coping strategies that make symptoms worse (like dwelling on negative thoughts) and fewer strategies that help (like accepting difficult thoughts). These patterns change across the menstrual cycle. Survey study, 2025 Does PMDD or PMS affect quality of life? Women with PMDD had noticeably lower quality of life scores. Women with only PMS had quality of life similar to those without these conditions. The study accounted for smoking, obesity, education, and other factors. Randomised trial, 2025 Does mood, well-being, and sexual function change across the menstrual cycle? No, there were no meaningful changes in sexual function, mood, or well-being across menstrual cycle phases in healthy young women. Being in a stable relationship predicted better sexual function overall, but cycle phase did not. Systematic review, 2025 How do cognition and behavior change across the menstrual cycle in people with PMDD? Evidence that cognitive abilities change is limited and inconsistent. A negative attention bias (focusing on negative things) appears central to PMDD. Systematic review, 2025 Do people with PMDD and severe PMS have difficulties with emotion regulation? People with PMDD and severe PMS may have difficulties identifying emotions and choosing how to handle them, particularly using rumination (replaying upset thoughts) in the late-luteal phase. Evidence remains limited. Randomised trial, 2025 Does taking an antidepressant only during the second half of your cycle reduce anger and aggression in PMDD? Yes. Taking escitalopram 20 mg during the second half of the menstrual cycle significantly reduced PMDD symptoms including irritability and anger, and reduced aggressive responses to provocation. Survey study, 2025 Is premenstrual syndrome inherited from your family? A study found that genes play a small role in who gets PMS symptoms. One genetic change was linked to PMS, and this same genetic pattern is also linked to depression. Systematic review, 2025 Does how well women think change throughout their menstrual cycle? No. Across 3,943 women in 102 studies with 730 comparisons, there was no clear evidence that thinking, memory, creativity, problem-solving, coordination, spatial ability, or verbal ability changed across the menstrual cycle. Randomised trial, 2025 Does the menstrual cycle phase affect how much alcohol impairs women's memory? Yes, women's working memory was less impaired by alcohol during the late follicular phase (when estradiol is high) compared to the early follicular phase (when estradiol is low), suggesting higher estradiol may protect against alcohol's cognitive effects. Cohort study, 2025 How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it? About 1 in 4 Chinese girls (24.6%) has PMS. Higher stress, anger, alcohol use, menstrual cycles of 24 days or less, and period pain are all linked to increased PMS likelihood. Review, 2025 How do stress hormone levels change during the menstrual cycle and how does this affect health? Cortisol levels are higher in the first two phases of the cycle and lower in the final phase. Higher cortisol is linked to PMS symptoms, miscarriage, and reduced fertility, while birth control medications may help stabilize cortisol. Systematic review, 2025 Does alcohol use affect menstrual health in teenage girls? Yes. Alcohol use is linked to irregular periods, PMS, period pain, and early or unintended pregnancy in teenage girls, though more research is needed to prove alcohol directly causes these problems. Cohort study, 2025 Do women with a history of PMS or PMDD have more depression during pregnancy and after birth? Women with PMS or PMDD history had higher depression scores throughout pregnancy and postpartum, with PMDD carrying higher risk than PMS. Randomised trial, 2024 Does curcumin reduce depression, anxiety, and stress in women with PMS and dysmenorrhea? Yes, curcumin significantly reduced depression, anxiety, and stress and improved mental health and quality of life compared to placebo. This was a larger, high-quality study. Randomised trial, 2024 Does estradiol prevent thinking problems before the period in women with suicidal thoughts? Yes. Estradiol prevented drops in working memory and verbal fluency that otherwise happened before the period. Review, 2024 What do brain wave patterns show about PMS and PMDD? Preliminary evidence suggests women with these conditions may have different brain wave patterns, but we need more research to be sure. Systematic review, 2024 What are the best treatments for PMDD and PMS? SSRIs (antidepressants) and combined oral contraceptives (birth control pills) have the strongest evidence. For difficult cases, GnRH agonists and surgery work. Some alternatives like acupuncture and yoga show promise but need better quality research. Case-control study, 2024 Are stomach symptoms worse before your period and linked to mood? Yes. Digestive symptoms like bloating and constipation are much more common in the week before menstruation in women with and without PMS. These symptoms are linked to worsening mood in both groups. Systematic review, 2023 What hormonal treatments have been tested for PMDD, menstrual migraine, and catamenial epilepsy? Hormonal treatments have been tested 56 times for premenstrual mood disorder, 21 times for menstrual migraine, and 8 times for catamenial epilepsy. Combined oral contraceptives were a frequent focus. Cohort study, 2023 Are PMS symptoms linked to genetic factors for psychiatric disorders? Yes. Women with PMS were more likely to have genetic factors for depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, schizophrenia, and autism spectrum disorder. This was a large, well-designed study, so we can be confident in these findings. Case-control study, 2023 Does the serotonin system work differently in PMDD across the menstrual cycle? Yes. Women with PMDD showed an 18 percent increase in serotonin transporter binding during the premenstrual phase while controls showed a 10 percent decrease. This increase correlated with depression severity. Systematic review, 2023 Is PMDD linked to depression? PMDD and depression are strongly linked. Nearly all studies found that people with PMDD were more likely to have depression, and people with depression were more likely to have PMDD. Systematic review, 2023 How common are menstrual cycle problems and PMS or PMDD in female athletes? Menstrual cycle problems are common in female athletes, with dysmenorrhoea affecting about 32%. More athletes report symptoms during their period than in the days before. Systematic review, 2022 What are the best treatments for PMDD and PMS? SSRIs (antidepressants) and combined oral contraceptives (birth control pills) have the strongest evidence. For difficult cases, GnRH agonists and surgery work. Some alternatives like acupuncture and yoga show promise but need better quality research. Systematic review, 2022 Do mental health disorders get worse during the menstrual cycle? Yes, several mental health disorders like depression, panic attacks, eating disorders and borderline personality disorder clearly worsen around menstruation. The evidence is less clear for anxiety or bipolar disorder. Survey study, 2022 What causes PMS and PMDD and what new treatments are being studied? PMS and PMDD involve changes in hormone sensitivity, serotonin levels, genetic factors, and inflammation. New treatments under research target progesterone receptors and inflammatory pathways. Systematic review, 2022 Do athletes' feelings and performance change across the menstrual cycle? Some feelings change across the cycle, especially motivation and mood. However, the research methods vary a lot, so we cannot be very confident about most findings. Systematic review, 2021 Does substance use change across the menstrual cycle, especially in women with PMS or PMDD? Yes. Women use more nicotine before and during their period, especially those with PMDD or PMS, and alcohol use also increases during these phases. Study, 2021 How much does the menstrual cycle affect mood and body signs compared to daily, weekly, and seasonal changes? The menstrual cycle causes the biggest changes in mood and body measurements compared to daily, weekly, or seasonal changes. Mood, vital signs, and sexual behavior vary most; sleep and exercise stay fairly steady. Systematic review, 2021 Does damask rose help reduce menstrual pain, headache, fatigue, anxiety, and bloating? Damask rose significantly reduced menstrual-related headache, fatigue, and bloating, but did not clearly reduce menstrual pain or anxiety. More research on pain and anxiety is needed. Randomised trial, 2021 Does ulipristal acetate (a progesterone blocker) treat PMDD? Yes. Women taking 5 mg daily improved by 41% versus 22% on placebo. Half achieved remission with the medication compared to 21.1% on placebo. Survey study, 2020 What symptoms best predict whether PMDD will seriously affect daily life? Four premenstrual symptoms is the optimal number for predicting clinically significant impairment. Psychological symptoms like difficulty concentrating were the strongest predictors, more so than core mood symptoms. Systematic review, 2019 Do women take more health-related risks at certain times in their menstrual cycle? Women show higher sexual activity and better risk awareness during ovulation, but no consistent pattern for alcohol or cigarette smoking across the cycle. Survey study, 2018 Does the menstrual cycle affect emotions and thinking ability? The menstrual cycle affects emotions consistently, especially in the luteal phase and stronger in women with PMDD. It has only small and inconsistent effects on cognitive tasks like memory and attention. Randomised trial, 2017 Does the combined oral contraceptive pill affect mood? Yes, but effects vary by cycle phase. The pill causes small increases in anxiety and irritability between periods but improves depression in the days before menstruation. Randomised trial, 2017 Does calcium reduce PMS symptoms? Yes. Women taking 500 mg of calcium daily for two months had significantly less severe PMS symptoms than those taking placebo, especially mood and water retention problems. Randomised trial, 2015 Which birth control pill better reduces PMS and menstrual symptoms: nomegestrol acetate or drospirenone? Nomegestrol acetate reduced more PMS and menstrual symptoms than drospirenone pills in this large study of 3522 women, though drospirenone was better for emotional arousal. Review, 2015 What do we know about PMS and PMDD and how are they treated? PMS affects 30 to 40 percent of reproductive-age women and PMDD affects 3 to 8 percent. Serotonergic antidepressants are the most effective treatment, but oral contraceptives, lifestyle changes, cognitive behavioral therapy, and herbal supplements are also available options. Systematic review, 2014 Do acupuncture and herbal medicine help PMS or PMDD symptoms? Both acupuncture and herbal medicine significantly improved PMS and PMDD symptoms, with most treatments providing over 50% improvement. They appear safe, though the evidence is limited. Systematic review, 2014 Do estrogen and progesterone change how the brain processes emotions and decisions? Yes. These hormones affect which brain areas activate when women process emotions and make decisions, particularly in areas involved in mood and choice-making. The specific pattern varies by hormone level and person. Review, 2013 What treatments work best for PMDD? A combination of lifestyle changes, medicines, and cognitive behavioral therapy works best. This approach reduces symptoms and improves daily functioning and quality of life. Systematic review, 2012 Does the menstrual cycle cause negative mood, especially before your period? Most studies found no link between the menstrual cycle and negative mood. Only 14.9 percent found negative mood linked specifically to the premenstrual phase, challenging the widespread belief in a premenstrual mood syndrome. Systematic review, 2012 What medications work best for PMDD? The abstract does not include findings or results, so no conclusion can be drawn from it. Randomised trial, 2011 Does phone support reduce stress during IVF waiting? No, the stress scale showed no difference, but women perceived the support as helpful and wanted more. Review, 2009 What causes PMDD and what are the treatment options? PMDD affects an estimated 5-8% of women and causes severe mood and physical symptoms. The cause involves individual sensitivity to hormonal changes. Treatments include serotonin antidepressants, medications that stop ovulation, and certain newer birth control pills. Review, 2008 What medications are FDA-approved for treating PMDD? Three selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs, a type of antidepressant) and a low-dose birth control pill containing drospirenone are FDA-approved for PMDD. SSRIs can be taken just during the two weeks before menstruation. Randomised trial, 2005 Does stopping ovulation help irritable bowel syndrome that gets worse during the menstrual cycle? Yes, stopping ovulation with leuprolide acetate significantly improved bowel symptoms related to the menstrual cycle. Adding tibolone (a hormone) did not improve bowel symptoms further but did improve quality of life more than leuprolide alone. Randomised trial, 2005 Does paroxetine taken only during the luteal phase help premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Yes. Both doses of paroxetine CR (12.5 mg and 25 mg) taken during the luteal phase were significantly better than placebo. Randomised trial, 2004 Does the antidepressant paroxetine CR reduce PMDD mood symptoms? Yes. In this large trial, both a lower and a higher dose of paroxetine CR significantly improved mood symptoms compared with placebo, with the higher dose working somewhat better. Review, 2003 Are SSRIs safe and effective for treating PMDD? Yes. SSRIs taken daily or intermittently are considered the first-line effective treatment for PMDD and are well tolerated. Randomised trial, 2000 Does sertraline improve how women with PMDD feel and function? Yes. Sertraline was clearly better than placebo at improving how women with PMDD functioned and their quality of life, and improvements appeared by the second month of treatment. Randomised trial, 1999 Does calcium reduce PMS symptoms? Yes, this large study of 497 women found that calcium supplementation reduced PMS symptoms during the luteal and menstrual phases. This is strong evidence from a well-designed trial. Randomised trial, 1998 Does taking calcium supplements reduce PMS symptoms? Yes. In this large trial, women who took calcium carbonate had much lower PMS symptom scores than women who took a placebo, with symptoms down 48% versus 30% by the third month. Randomised trial, 1998 Is intermittent citalopram during the luteal phase more effective than continuous dosing? Yes, taking citalopram only during the luteal phase was more effective than placebo and appeared more effective than continuous or semi-continuous dosing, with mild side effects. Randomised trial, 1998 Does cognitive therapy help women with PMS? Yes. Cognitive therapy was significantly more effective than being on a waitlist, and women showed almost complete remission of symptoms. Systematic review, 1998 Do stomach and intestinal symptoms change during the menstrual cycle? Yes. About one-third of women without usual gut problems get gut symptoms around their period. Almost half of women with irritable bowel syndrome report their symptoms get worse perimenstrually. Review, 1997 Does appetite and food cravings change during the menstrual cycle, especially in women with PMS? Yes. Energy intake is higher in the second half of the cycle (luteal phase) compared to around ovulation. Many women with PMS report carbohydrate cravings before menstruation, possibly linked to changes in serotonin levels. Randomised trial, 1995 Does fluoxetine help premenstrual dysphoria? Yes. Fluoxetine at 20 mg or 60 mg per day significantly reduced tension, irritability, and dysphoria compared to placebo. The 20 mg dose had fewer side effects than the 60 mg dose. Systematic review, 1995 What medications work best to treat premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Several types of medication show promise for treating PMDD, but there is not strong evidence yet for which works best because studies used different methods and measurements. More standardized research is needed to say which treatments help most. Cohort study, 1993 How common are premenstrual and menstrual symptoms in women? Menstrual symptoms are very common in women in the community and increase with age. Women with anxiety are more likely to report menstrual problems. Survey study, 1992 How common are severe premenstrual symptoms in the general population of women? Severe or moderately severe mood symptoms were not significantly more common in the premenstrual phase than mid-cycle in this large population study. Only 1% of mood symptoms in the population can be attributed to the premenstrual state. Survey study, 2026 Does stress affect premenstrual symptoms in female athletes, and can coping strategies help? A review of research found that higher stress worsens PMS symptoms in female athletes, while healthy coping strategies like emotional regulation and social support can reduce symptoms. This comes from multiple studies rather than one new study. Survey study, 2026 Is PMS worse in medical students with higher stress? Yes. Medical students with high stress are much more likely to have moderate to severe PMS. About 26.5% of students had moderate to severe PMS overall. Survey study, 2026 How does PMS affect test anxiety in nursing students? PMS was linked to higher test anxiety both directly and indirectly through delaying sleep and reduced ability to pay attention. The indirect pathway through sleep delays and attention difficulties accounted for 50% of the link between PMS and test anxiety. Survey study, 2026 How does sleep change across the menstrual cycle in women with psychiatric conditions and suicidal thinking? Sleep varies across the menstrual cycle in women with psychiatric conditions. These patterns align with changes in mood and suicidal thinking, with some women having worse sleep around their period or in the luteal phase. This suggests sleep monitoring may help identify higher-risk periods. Lab study, 2026 Do core stability exercises help women with PMDD? Yes. After 8 weeks of core stability exercises, women with PMDD had reduced pain and improved ability to do daily activities. Study, 2026 Does how women's body responds to stress change across their menstrual cycle? Yes. During the luteal phase (the second half of the cycle), women's blood pressure and anxiety rose more when they faced a stressor, compared to other phases. This suggests the luteal phase involves different stress reactivity. Review, 2026 Can diet and nutrition help reduce PMS symptoms? Yes. High intake of calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin B6 reduce PMS symptoms. A high-fiber, low-sugar diet with omega-3 fatty acids also appears helpful. Study, 2026 What coping strategies help women manage PMS symptoms? Many strategies help manage PMS: psychological and behavioral changes, lifestyle modifications, and complementary methods like yoga and meditation. Programs combining counseling, education, and lifestyle changes work best and have few side effects. Study, 2026 Do anxiety and depression get worse before your period if you already have a mental health condition? Yes. If you have depression, bipolar disorder, or other mental health conditions, symptoms often worsen before your period due to hormone changes. This can affect how well treatments work. Survey study, 2026 Is academic stress linked to PMS severity in university students? Yes, clearly. Higher stress levels were linked to worse PMS symptoms. Study, 2026 Does increased brain reward sensitivity protect mood during the premenstrual phase? Possibly. When estradiol levels drop before the period, some women's brains show increased sensitivity to rewards. Women who had bigger increases in reward sensitivity experienced smaller increases in depression symptoms. Study, 2026 How do mood, heart rate, and muscle strength change during the menstrual cycle? Heart rate patterns change across the cycle, especially during the mid-luteal phase when progesterone is highest. Muscle strength appears stable, but feeling energetic links with muscle activity. Depression increases during the early-cycle phase. Review, 2026 Can traditional Chinese medicine help treat PMDD? This review suggests that traditional Chinese medicine approaches like herbal medicine and acupuncture may help PMDD symptoms and might have fewer side effects than standard medications. However, more rigorous research is needed before it can become a standard treatment. Survey study, 2026 Is worry about climate change linked to worse PMS symptoms? Higher climate change anxiety was associated with worse PMS symptoms. Climate anxiety is just one of many factors affecting PMS severity. Cohort study, 2026 Are diet and lifestyle linked to premenstrual symptoms in college students? Yes. Regular exercise was linked to lower rates of significant PMS, while smoking and certain foods were linked to higher rates. However, this is an observational study so we cannot know if these factors actually cause PMS. Case-control study, 2026 Do women with PMS show different brain stress responses at different cycle phases? Brain responses to stress were similar in women with and without PMS regardless of cycle phase, but more severe PMS symptoms were associated with differences in two specific brain regions. Cohort study, 2026 Does the menstrual cycle phase affect blood loss during lipoabdominoplasty surgery? No. Blood loss during lipoabdominoplasty was the same regardless of which phase of the menstrual cycle women were in during surgery. Cohort study, 2026 Does the menstrual cycle phase affect how much physical activity women do? No. In active women, daily physical activity remained stable across all menstrual cycle phases (around 50 minutes per day), even when premenstrual symptoms were present. Cohort study, 2026 Does cannabis use vary across the menstrual cycle in people with premenstrual disorders? Yes, the amount of cannabis used peaks before menstruation and around ovulation in people with premenstrual disorders. The pattern is stronger when emotional symptoms worsen. Cohort study, 2026 How do menstrual cycle hormones affect suicide risk in women? A review suggests hormone changes during the menstrual cycle, especially in the luteal phase, may affect brain chemistry and increase suicide risk in vulnerable women. The exact mechanisms are not fully understood. Study, 2026 How do hormones change the brain across the menstrual cycle? The brain does change in measurable ways across the cycle, especially in how different brain areas communicate with each other. These changes are modest but can even predict which cycle phase a woman is in. Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Between 5% and 8% of women have moderate-to-severe symptoms that cause significant problems with work, relationships, and daily life. These are called PMS or PMDD. PMDD is the most severe form. Survey study, 2026 What is the true rate of PMDD, and does it worsen mental health conditions? The true rate of PMDD when properly diagnosed is 3.2%. Depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia can all worsen during certain times of the menstrual cycle, and SSRIs and hormonal therapies are proven treatments. Study, 2026 What treatments work for PMDD? SSRIs (a type of antidepressant) and certain types of birth control are the main first-line treatments. New treatments targeting brain chemistry are being developed. Survey study, 2026 How common is PMDD among college women and what increases the risk? About 17.4% of college women screened positive for probable PMDD. Living with a boyfriend, having severe period pain, and having longer menstrual cycles were associated with higher odds. Case-control study, 2026 Do girls with familial Mediterranean fever have more PMS symptoms? Overall they have fewer PMS symptoms, but the symptoms they do have are linked to inflammation and disease activity. Survey study, 2026 What hormonal and psychological factors affect PMS symptoms? In a community sample of 257 women, PMS symptoms were higher in the days before menstruation and linked to progesterone levels. Stress and anxiety-prone personality traits also increased symptoms. Cohort study, 2026 Does suicidal thinking and self-harm follow the menstrual cycle in PMDD? Yes. Women with PMDD show significant cyclic patterns in suicidal thoughts and self-harm urges, peaking in the late luteal phase and improving around menstruation. This pattern is strongest in those who meet PMDD criteria. Cohort study, 2026 Are stress, physical activity, and diet linked to premenstrual symptoms? Yes. Higher stress was associated with worse PMS, moderate-intensity exercise with better outcomes, and higher red meat consumption with more severe PMS. But this observational study cannot prove these factors cause the changes. Systematic review, 2026 What life experiences and personal factors influence how severe PMS is? Adverse childhood experiences, stress, personality traits, and coping styles can worsen PMS. Physical exercise, social support, and resilience protect against severe symptoms. Research on these connections is very limited. Survey study, 2026 What role do stress and inflammation play in PMDD? A review of published research found that stress and inflammation are present in people with PMDD. More research is needed to understand how well birth control pills and anti-inflammatory medicines work for treating PMDD. Survey study, 2026 Is self-compassion linked to PMS symptoms? Yes, strongly. Women with higher self-compassion had fewer PMS symptoms. Self-compassion and marital status together explained about half of the differences in PMS severity. Survey study, 2026 Are PMS and PMDD the same condition or are they different? They are different. PMDD is more severe and causes significant distress and impairment in work and relationships, while PMS is broader and milder. PMDD requires more intensive treatment. Survey study, 2026 Are women with PMS more likely to have sexual dysfunction? Yes. Women with PMS and PMDD have increased risk of sexual dysfunction including low libido, inability to reach orgasm, and pain during intercourse. The causes may be shared hormonal and serotonin system problems. Survey study, 2026 How do pain, sleep quality, and appetite change across the menstrual cycle? Appetite increases significantly before and during the period. Pain can disrupt sleep, especially during menstruation. Single women report much worse sleep and pain during their period than married women do. Cohort study, 2026 How do beliefs about control and ways of handling emotions affect distress before your period? Women who believed their premenstrual period was uncontrollable experienced stronger increases in distress before their period. Their general ways of handling emotions were linked to overall distress throughout the cycle rather than specifically to increases before the period. Case-control study, 2026 Does vitamin D help PMS symptoms? Evidence from clinical trials suggests taking vitamin D supplements or eating foods rich in vitamin D can reduce PMS symptoms. Low vitamin D during the menstrual cycle may make PMS worse. Review, 2026 How does the menstrual cycle affect concentration and work productivity? Reaction time slows and attention problems occur most during the luteal and premenstrual phases, particularly in people with PMS or PMDD. Overall evidence is mixed because studies use different methods. Randomised trial, 2026 Is yoga or aerobic exercise better for reducing PMS symptoms in adolescent girls? Both yoga and aerobic exercise significantly reduced PMS symptoms and pain intensity. Neither was superior to the other, so either could be recommended as an effective non-drug treatment. Review, 2025 What are PMS and PMDD and what causes them? PMS causes mood, behavior, and physical symptoms before your period that resolve after menstruation. PMDD affects 5-8% of women and causes serious daily disruption. Cause is unknown but involves brain chemistry and hormone changes. Randomised trial, 2025 Does asking about positive experiences change how women report premenstrual symptoms? Yes, when asked about both negative and positive experiences, women reported 62 to 64 percent less negative descriptions and mentioned positive experiences like increased sex drive and energy not mentioned otherwise. Survey study, 2025 Do women with more premenstrual symptoms have different brain structure than those with fewer symptoms? Women with more premenstrual symptoms had significantly larger volume in the left posterior cingulate cortex region of the brain. However, this is a correlation study and cannot prove brain structure causes symptoms. Survey study, 2025 Do women with PMS have difficulty managing emotions across their whole cycle or only before their period? Women with PMS reported more difficulty managing emotions overall, but when tested at different cycle phases, these difficulties were not actually found. Whether emotion problems cause PMS or untreated PMS makes women feel like they have emotion problems remains unclear. Survey study, 2025 Do adverse childhood experiences increase PMS and menstrual symptoms in adulthood? Yes. Women who experienced four or more adverse childhood experiences were nearly three times more likely to have severe premenstrual symptoms and more than five times as likely to have PMDD compared to those with fewer or no adverse experiences. Survey study, 2025 Do women with bipolar disorder who had PMS or postpartum depression have worse mood problems during menopause? Yes. Women with bipolar disorder who had premenstrual symptoms are 6.189 times more likely to have mood episodes during menopause, and those with postpartum depression are 2.635 times more likely to have depression during menopause. Survey study, 2025 Do mental abilities like reaction time and attention change across the menstrual cycle? Yes, some do. Women had faster reaction times and fewer mistakes during menstruation, but slower reactions and poorer timing skills during the luteal phase. Survey study, 2025 What behavioral symptoms of premenstrual syndrome are most common? Most women studied (519 out of 650) experienced at least one premenstrual symptom, with insomnia, confusion, difficulty concentrating, and avoiding social situations being most common. These behavioral symptoms were the top concerns for women with PMS. Systematic review, 2025 Does the menstrual cycle affect how your body and emotions respond to stress? There is modest evidence that during the luteal phase (the second half of your cycle), you show greater heart rate changes and emotional reactions to stressful situations. This may explain some PMS symptoms. Study, 2025 Do women have different symptom patterns before, during, and after menopause? Yes. Women have different symptom patterns depending on whether they are before, during, or after menopause. All women experience fatigue, headache, anxiety, and brain fog regardless of life stage. Systematic review, 2025 Do diet changes or supplements help PMS symptoms? Most studies showed diet changes and supplements reduced PMS symptoms, but many studies had quality concerns so we cannot be certain how much they truly help. Review, 2025 How do hormone changes across the menstrual cycle affect mood and behavior in psychiatric disorders? This review proposes that fluctuations in estradiol and progesterone trigger different patterns of mood and behavior problems at different cycle phases through different biological mechanisms. Understanding individual differences in hormone sensitivity could help develop more precise treatments. Survey study, 2025 Does menstruation affect how well women perform at work? Yes. On days when women were menstruating, they reported lower ability to control their emotions and regulate themselves, which led to worse task performance, less helping of colleagues, and more withdrawing from work. Pain made this effect stronger. Study, 2025 Does the time in your menstrual cycle change how heart tests show results? Heart test results were similar at different cycle phases, but the body's response such as blood pressure and a heart protein marker was different, showing the menstrual cycle affects how your body responds to exercise. Study, 2025 Does anger get worse before your period? Yes. Anger and irritability are clearly more severe before your period across reproductive ages. Randomised trial, 2025 Does Jingqianshu granules, a Chinese herbal medicine, help PMS symptoms? Yes, significantly more than placebo over three menstrual cycles, with no serious safety problems reported. Survey study, 2025 Is emotional eating linked to PMS in university women? Yes. Female students with PMS, especially those with mood and behavior symptoms, were more likely to eat in response to emotions rather than hunger. Students without PMS were less likely to do this. Review, 2025 Do yoga and dietary changes help with PMS symptoms? Yes, both yoga and specific dietary supplements improve PMS symptoms and quality of life. Combining yoga and diet changes together appears to work better than either alone. Cohort study, 2025 Is the stress hormone cortisol different in women with PMDD? Yes. Women with PMDD had weaker cortisol peaks in the early cycle phase, and lower cortisol was linked to more depression during the premenstrual phase. Survey study, 2025 How do personality traits like neuroticism affect PMS severity and sexual satisfaction? Yes, personality traits significantly predict both PMS severity and sexual satisfaction. Women with higher neuroticism had more severe PMS with anxiety, depression, and fatigue, while those with higher extraversion had milder PMS and better sexual satisfaction. Study, 2025 Do combined oral contraceptives help treat PMS and PMDD? Combined oral contraceptives are considered one treatment option for PMS and PMDD because they contain hormones that affect the system controlling hormone production. The review doesn't provide specific data on how well they work. Survey study, 2025 Are food cravings and hedonic hunger linked to PMS? Yes. Students with PMS had higher scores on hedonic hunger (eating for pleasure, not fuel) and food cravings. These were linked to emotional eating and to the severity of PMS symptoms. Review, 2025 Does hormonal birth control affect mood and depression? Some types of hormonal birth control increase depression risk for some women, while others may actually decrease it. Age when you start and your mental health history are important factors in whether birth control will affect your mood. Survey study, 2025 Do certain nutrients and body weight affect PMS? Yes. Higher energy intake and fat intake were significantly related to PMS, as was abnormal body weight (both underweight and overweight). Other nutrients tested were not significantly related. Randomised trial, 2025 Does Nigella sativa reduce PMS symptoms in women? Yes, Nigella sativa supplements reduced PMS symptoms and increased estrogen levels in women with moderate to severe PMS. This is a well-designed study, but the sample size is not reported in the abstract. Study, 2025 Does PMS change how much attention emotional faces grab? No clear difference was found. Angry faces grabbed attention more than neutral faces in all women, but PMS did not change this pattern. Study, 2025 Does the menstrual cycle affect sleep, energy, and injury risk in young female athletes? Yes. Young female athletes reported worse sleep and more tiredness during the luteal phase, particularly the week before their period. They also had more injuries during these phases. Randomised trial, 2025 Does escitalopram reduce aggressive behavior in women with premenstrual anger and irritability? Escitalopram reduced self-reported irritability and anger, and decreased aggressive behavior on one lab test but only in some women whose anger followed a specific pattern. We can be moderately confident in this finding. Survey study, 2025 Does PMS affect women's life satisfaction, and what factors help? Yes, PMS significantly affects life satisfaction. Exercise habits, employment status, and how women cope with PMS symptoms all influence their satisfaction. Randomised trial, 2025 Does whole-body cryostimulation improve sleep quality in female athletes during different menstrual phases? Yes, whole-body cryostimulation improved sleep quality and reduced fatigue during the mid-luteal phase, when sleep naturally worsens. It did not help during other phases. Case-control study, 2025 Should menstrual cycle mood changes be treated as distinct categories or as a spectrum? Menstrual cycle mood changes likely exist on a continuous spectrum rather than as separate PMDD versus normal categories, suggesting research should measure them on a scale rather than as distinct groups. Review, 2025 How does the menstrual cycle affect ADHD symptoms and concentration? Women with ADHD experience worse attention and executive function during the mid-luteal and premenstrual phases, whereas women without ADHD show improved attention during these phases. Research is still limited. Case-control study, 2025 How does PMS affect the brain's response to positive emotions? Women with PMS show reduced brain activity when viewing positive emotional images, especially during the luteal phase, and have lower mood scores throughout their cycle. This suggests emotional changes in PMS happen even when women don't notice symptoms. Study, 2025 What brain changes do women with PMS and PMDD have? Brain imaging shows that women with PMS and PMDD have structural and functional differences in their limbic system (the emotion center of the brain), particularly in three areas: the amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus. These differences may help explain the symptoms. Cohort study, 2025 How does mood and personality change across the menstrual cycle? Findings differ between study types. The diary study found similar mood patterns in naturally cycling and contraceptive-using women, with only minor differences. The laboratory study found clear increases in negative mood and anxiety before the period, and decreases in positive mood. Survey study, 2025 What psychological and personal factors predict which university students will develop premenstrual syndrome? High anger, low social support, childhood trauma, high stress, negative attitudes toward menstruation, and poor satisfaction with gender roles all predict PMS. However, results are limited to university students in one country. Survey study, 2025 How common is PMDD among female medical students in Vietnam? PMDD affects 4.2% of female medical students at this university. The study also found that menstrual cycle length, regularity, electronics use, and alcohol drinking are linked to PMDD. Survey study, 2025 How common are premenstrual symptoms in college students? Premenstrual symptoms are very common, affecting 85 percent of college students in this study. The most frequent symptoms are mood changes like depression and irritability, along with physical discomfort like headaches and fatigue. Study, 2025 What causes PMS and what are the main treatment options? The exact cause of PMS is still unknown, but inflammation and oxidative stress may be involved. Treatment typically involves lifestyle changes, vitamin and mineral support, herbal medicine, and medications, with drospirenone-containing contraceptives being the first choice. Survey study, 2025 Does PMDD affect women's quality of life and job performance? Yes. Women with PMDD had significantly lower quality of life and job performance. Quality of life was positively linked with job performance. Randomised trial, 2025 Does escitalopram improve attention and reduce impulsivity in women with premenstrual irritability and anger? Escitalopram improved attention consistency in a lab test and women reported fewer impulsive urges when taking the drug. We can be moderately confident in this finding. Cohort study, 2025 Do women with depression experience worse mood before their period? Yes. Women with depression showed gradual mood decline starting 14 days before menstruation, with the lowest mood 3 days before to 2 days after. About 54% had worse mood during this window than during the rest of the cycle. Randomised trial, 2025 Does blocking progesterone change brain structure in people with PMDD? No. A progesterone-blocking medication did not change white matter structure in the brain compared to placebo, though some secondary analyses showed differences that need further study. Survey study, 2024 Does poor sleep and period problems affect teen mental health? Yes. Teenagers with irregular periods, PMS, or menstrual pain had more anxiety and sadness, especially those sleeping less or going to bed later. Survey study, 2024 How much do Indonesian 9th graders know about PMS and what are their attitudes? Most girls (56.25%) had a positive attitude toward PMS, but only 15.6% showed good knowledge about managing it. Survey study, 2024 Is physical activity linked to PMS symptoms? About 68.5% of young women had PMS. There was a weak but statistically significant association between physical activity and PMS severity, though it was too weak to draw strong conclusions. Survey study, 2024 Can period-related symptoms predict whether female cyclists manipulate their periods? Reduced ability to tolerate workouts predicts menstrual manipulation among Australian cyclists, but specific symptoms do not. This is moderate-strength evidence. Survey study, 2024 Does the menstrual cycle affect how your brain responds to rewards and errors? The menstrual cycle causes small changes in how the brain responds to rewards and errors. These brain changes vary a lot between people, and for some people they match changes in mood across their cycle. Survey study, 2024 Did having COVID-19 cause lasting menstrual problems? No clear difference was found in menstrual cycle patterns or PMS symptoms between vaccinated women who had COVID-19 and those who had not had it. Cohort study, 2024 Does experiencing stressful life events change how your mood varies during your menstrual cycle? Yes. Women who experienced more stressful or traumatic life events show bigger mood and mental health changes during the premenstrual phase, particularly increases in suicidal thoughts. Study, 2024 Does emotion regulation change during your menstrual cycle or with birth control? Yes, but it depends on whether you use birth control. Women with natural cycles showed less brain response to negative emotions in the second half of their cycle compared to the first half, while women using birth control pills or IUDs showed sustained responses. Case-control study, 2024 How does PMDD affect how women understand and feel what others are experiencing? Women with PMDD show unusual brain patterns related to empathy during the luteal phase: they have stronger emotional responses but have more difficulty understanding other people's perspectives. This may explain the severe social difficulties that women with PMDD report during this phase. Survey study, 2024 Does estrogen affect how well women recognize emotions in others? Women with higher overall estrogen levels were better at recognizing emotions. However, when a woman's estrogen was unusually high for her at a given time, it made emotion recognition worse. Systematic review, 2024 What brain changes occur in PMDD? Multiple brain regions show structural and functional changes in PMDD, including the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, and other areas. Some changes correlate with how severe symptoms are. Randomised trial, 2024 Does sertraline change brain chemicals in people with PMDD, and does this relate to symptom improvement? Sertraline changed specific brain chemical levels (pregnanolone) in people with PMDD compared to baseline. However, whether these chemical changes directly caused symptom improvement was not tested. Cohort study, 2024 How does sleep change across your menstrual cycle? Sleep was best during the mid-to-late follicular phase (when estrogen is rising) compared to menstruation and the luteal phase. This is fairly clear evidence from 96 women. Non-randomised trial, 2024 Does eating banana help reduce PMS symptoms? Yes. Women who ate 100 grams of banana daily for 3 months experienced significant reductions in PMS symptoms compared to those who did not eat banana. Case-control study, 2024 Does rumination and mindfulness affect mood differently in women with PMDD at different times of the cycle? Yes. Women with PMDD showed stronger positive mood improvement from mindfulness during the late cycle phase. Rumination increased negative mood in all women regardless of cycle phase. Case-control study, 2024 Can short mindfulness or rumination exercises shift mood differently across the cycle in PMDD? Yes. Short mindfulness exercises boosted positive mood more in women with PMDD during the premenstrual (late luteal) phase than in women without PMDD, while short rumination exercises worsened mood and awareness for everyone, regardless of cycle phase or PMDD status. Cohort study, 2024 Does the tendency to ruminate make PMS mood swings worse? No. This larger study found that trait rumination did not predict whether women experienced more mood changes across their cycle, contradicting some earlier smaller studies. Rumination may not be a useful treatment target for PMS mood disorders. Survey study, 2024 What attitudes do women have about menstruation and what affects these attitudes? Women view their periods as natural, bothersome, or shameful depending on their personal history and current experiences, including how they felt at menarche, menstrual pain, contraceptive use, body image, and comfort with sexuality. Interview study, 2024 How do young women use period tracker apps to manage their menstrual cycles? Most young women use period tracker apps mainly to predict their next period. The apps help women understand their cycles better, but they need to be more accurate and provide better education. Study, 2024 Do depressive symptoms change across the menstrual cycle? Yes, depressive symptoms changed significantly across the menstrual cycle, and the amount of change differed between women and between individual symptoms. Measuring symptoms in the afternoon gave the most reliable results. Study, 2024 How do finger temperature, heart rate, and sleep change across the menstrual cycle? Finger temperature and heart rate changed across the menstrual cycle, but sleep measures stayed the same in these healthy women. Heart rate was lowest during menses in both younger and older women. Cohort study, 2024 Does the menstrual cycle affect daily changes in suicidal thoughts? Yes, for women with suicidal ideation. They had worse suicidal thoughts and planning during certain menstrual cycle phases, particularly around menstruation, driven mainly by depression and hopelessness. Randomised trial, 2024 Does a banana drink with egg white reduce PMDD symptoms and improve mood? The banana drink significantly reduced anxiety, fatigue, concentration problems, insomnia and physical symptoms, and improved mood. Serotonin levels did not increase significantly. Survey study, 2024 How common is PMDD in high school students and what factors are linked to it? About one-third of high school students (33.03%) had PMDD. Depression, stress, irregular periods, and longer menstrual bleeding were the strongest linked factors. Survey study, 2024 How common are PMS and PMDD in young Turkish women and what factors are linked to them? PMS affects about 49% of young Turkish women and PMDD about 48%. Blood type B was far more likely to have PMS than blood type A. Lower physical activity, longer menstrual cycles, more caffeine, and depression were also linked to PMDD. Study, 2024 Does how women feel when exercising change across the menstrual cycle? Yes, clearly. Women experience worse pain, water retention, nausea, and dizziness before high-intensity exercise during menstruation versus other phases. They have lower motivation during menstruation and the luteal phase. However, exercise improves mood and motivation regardless of phase. Survey study, 2024 Does thinking style affect mood through the menstrual cycle in people with PMDD? Yes. People with PMDD who had less repetitive negative thinking and more present-moment awareness during the late luteal phase showed better mood. Long-term thinking habits didn't protect them from premenstrual mood worsening. Randomised trial, 2024 Can group counseling focused on positive psychology reduce PMS symptoms? Yes. Women who attended six online counseling sessions focusing on positive psychology had significantly lower PMS symptoms immediately and two months later compared to a control group. Survey study, 2024 Did COVID-19 stress cause changes in menstrual cycles? Yes, the pandemic was linked to menstrual cycle changes, and women with these changes were more likely to have depression and sleep problems, though the study can't prove stress caused the changes. Review, 2024 How do hormones during the menstrual cycle affect emotions and behavior? Estrogen before ovulation increases confidence and attractiveness. Progesterone during the luteal phase promotes stable relationships but causes PMS in many women. Survey study, 2024 Are menstrual cycle symptoms related to sleep problems and mental health in female athletes? Yes. Women with more menstrual symptoms reported more depression, anxiety, stress problems, and sleep issues. Case-control study, 2024 Does PMDD affect how women judge space and direction? Women with PMDD performed better on spatial thinking tests during the follicular phase, suggesting PMDD may involve different brain processing patterns. The practical meaning of this enhanced ability is not yet clear. Cohort study, 2024 Can a wearable fitness tracker spot premenstrual disorders by measuring heart rate? In women with premenstrual disorders, lower heart rate variability around their period was linked to worse symptoms, especially mood symptoms, while no such link appeared in women without these disorders. This is an early observational finding, not yet a proven test. Lab study, 2023 Does sleep change across the menstrual cycle? No clear difference in healthy women. Objective sleep measurements remained stable across the menstrual cycle. Women approaching menopause reported feeling they slept worse overall compared to younger women, though their actual sleep duration was similar. Study, 2023 Do women with PMDD have different brain network patterns than women without PMDD? Yes. Using brain imaging, researchers found that women with PMDD have different patterns of connection between brain regions in three brain networks compared to women without PMDD. Cohort study, 2023 Do girls with intellectual disability have worse menstrual quality of life? Girls with intellectual disability had similar menstrual patterns to other girls, but experienced significantly lower quality of life during menstruation and missed much more school due to periods. Survey study, 2023 Can psychological immunity and coping skills reduce anxiety and depression in women with PMS? Psychological immunity and coping strategies were strongly linked to lower anxiety and depression in women with PMS. Self-regulation was the strongest protective factor. Cohort study, 2023 Does the menstrual cycle affect how often women have suicidal thoughts? Yes. Women with recent suicidal thoughts reported significantly more severe ideation during the perimenstrual phase (around their period) compared to other cycle phases. The cycle explained 25% of the change in suicidal thoughts. Cohort study, 2023 Can we predict which nurses will get PMS based on their lifestyle and work conditions? Yes, researchers created a model that could accurately predict which nurses would develop PMS by looking at sleep quality, stress, anxiety, depression, caffeine intake, workplace bullying, and menstrual cycle patterns. The model showed good prediction ability in both test and validation datasets. Randomised trial, 2023 Does alternate-day modified fasting improve PMS symptoms and quality of life in overweight or obese women? Yes, alternate-day modified fasting improved mood lability, expressed anger, and mental health more than daily calorie restriction. These improvements were statistically significant but dropout was high. Case-control study, 2023 Do emotion regulation strategies help women with PMDD manage mood and stress hormones? Women with PMDD use less helpful emotion regulation strategies. Using better strategies improves daily mood but does not fully prevent the premenstrual mood drop. Mindfulness may help maintain normal stress hormone levels. Randomised trial, 2023 Does estrogen and progesterone around the period help with suicidal thoughts? In 26 women with suicidal thoughts, giving estrogen and progesterone before the period changed some brain chemicals that may relate to suicide risk. This is very early research with a small sample, so we cannot be sure yet. Cohort study, 2023 Do women recognize emotions differently at different times of their menstrual cycle? No. Two independent studies found that women's ability to recognize emotions in faces did not change across their cycle, even though mood symptoms did change as expected. Cohort study, 2023 Is the mid-luteal phase a vulnerable time for mood problems? The study found weak evidence for this. Women had more depression-like symptoms in the mid-luteal phase, but stress was a stronger predictor of mood changes than menstrual cycle phase. Survey study, 2023 What factors make premenstrual syndrome worse in nursing students? The study found that PMS is linked to menstrual pain, poor sleep, neuroticism (a personality trait), and stress. These factors together explain about 44% of why some students have worse PMS than others. Survey study, 2023 Do stomach and gut problems change during the menstrual cycle? Overall gut symptoms did not differ clearly across menstrual cycle phases. However, pain in the lower belly was higher during menstruation than in other cycle phases. Study, 2023 Does sleep quality affect your mood differently during your period? Menstrual phase alone did not affect mood, but sleep and cycle phase together did. Good sleep protected your mood during menses, while poor sleep made your mood drop more during menses than at other times. Survey study, 2023 Is PMDD diagnosis associated with more severe depression and anxiety and lower well-being? Yes. Women with probable PMDD had significantly higher depression and anxiety symptoms and lower well-being compared to those without PMDD, regardless of their menstrual cycle phase. Study, 2023 Does the menstrual cycle affect how well women learn new information? Yes, clearly. Women learn exceptions to rules much faster when estradiol (a hormone that rises and falls with the cycle) is high than when it's low, and they learn faster than men do. Randomised trial, 2023 Do very low doses of fluoxetine help emotional PMS symptoms? Yes. Low doses of fluoxetine (5 to 10 mg daily) reduced emotional PMS symptoms when taken only before menstruation, with 10 mg being more effective. Survey study, 2023 Does stress cause women with PMDD to eat emotionally? In women with PMDD, stress mediated the link between PMS symptoms and emotional eating. Stress plays a key role in whether women eat emotionally during their cycle. Review, 2023 Can herbs and supplements help with PMS symptoms? Herbs like chaste berry and supplements like calcium and magnesium may help with PMS. Evidence is strongest when combined with lifestyle changes and therapy, though more research is needed. Survey study, 2023 How common is PMS in secondary school students and what makes it more likely? About 6 out of 10 secondary school girls had PMS. Girls with period pain, a family history of PMS, or who were overweight were more likely to have PMS, while girls with normal weight were less likely. Survey study, 2023 How common are PMS, PMDD, anxiety, and depression in rural adolescent girls? In 430 rural girls, 8.8% had PMDD and 17.4% had PMS. PMDD was significantly linked to depression, anxiety, menstrual pain, irregular cycles, and family type. Survey study, 2023 How common is PMS in working women and does it affect their work-life quality? This survey of 600 working women found that 48% have PMS. Of those with PMS, 35% report lower work-life quality, a statistically significant difference meaning PMS significantly affects work satisfaction. Survey study, 2023 How common is PMS in female college students and does it affect quality of life? 62.7% of 300 female college students had PMS, and it was associated with poorer quality of life across all areas. The most common symptoms were back, joint, and muscle aches. Survey study, 2023 How common are PMS and PMDD in medical students, and does PMS affect work quality of life? About 29.4% of medical students had severe PMS and 6.1% had PMDD. Students with PMS had significantly lower work quality of life, though many students dropped out of the second part of the study. Survey study, 2023 How do rumination and awareness affect mood and stress hormones during the menstrual cycle in PMDD? In women with PMDD, being aware of the present moment and thinking less about negative things predicted better mood during the premenstrual phase. Women with PMDD also lacked the normal stress hormone pattern that healthy women show, which may be a biological marker of PMDD. Cohort study, 2023 How common is PMS in young women, and do they have ways to manage it? About 4 in 10 young women had PMS. Most found simple ways to manage symptoms like hot or cold drinks and talking to family. Survey study, 2023 Does repetitive worrying make PMS symptoms worse? No. This study of 232 women found that those with higher rumination did not have worse PMS symptoms or different symptom patterns across the menstrual cycle. Study, 2022 Do women whose mood changes a lot during the menstrual cycle have worse mood overall? Yes. Women who experience menstrual cycle-related changes in mood, whether around the period or in the middle of the cycle, have higher average levels of negative mood overall. Survey study, 2022 Is premenstrual syndrome related to aggression in adolescent girls? Yes. Aggression tendencies increased as PMS severity increased, and girls who noticed increased anger before their period had higher PMS intensity overall. Review, 2022 Did COVID-19 cause changes in women's menstrual cycles and premenstrual syndrome? The review examined reports of menstrual cycle changes during COVID-19, including bleeding changes and increased premenstrual syndrome symptoms. Insufficient data exists to know how widespread these changes were. Survey study, 2022 Is low hemoglobin (low iron in the blood) linked to PMS symptoms? Yes. Women with lower hemoglobin levels were more likely to have PMS, especially physical and emotional symptoms. Cohort study, 2022 Does depression after pregnancy affect when periods return and how severe menstrual symptoms are? Women with higher depression scores at 6 months postpartum were more likely to have their periods return within 6 months. Women whose menstrual symptoms worsened had higher depression scores, but this wasn't confirmed when adjusted for other factors. Survey study, 2022 Does emotional processing change through the cycle if someone had postpartum depression? Yes. Women with a history of postpartum depression showed depression-like thinking patterns during the late luteal phase, like dwelling on negative self-views and remembering sad information better. Healthy women did not show this pattern. Survey study, 2022 Are depressive symptoms linked to menstrual distress? Yes, strongly. Depressive symptoms were significantly associated with menstrual distress in both the premenstrual and menstrual phases, even after accounting for shift work, sleep, and other factors. Case-control study, 2022 Do women with PMDD recognize emotions differently across their menstrual cycle than women without PMDD? Yes. Women with PMDD showed different emotion recognition responses during different cycle phases while women without PMDD did not. This suggests PMDD affects how the brain processes emotional faces. Case-control study, 2022 Are differences in emotional brain activity in women with PMDD related to progesterone-derived neurosteroids? Women with PMDD show greater emotional brain activity during the late luteal phase, and this activity is related to a different balance of two neurosteroids (ALLO and ISO) compared to women without PMDD. Survey study, 2022 What factors are linked to PMS in teenage girls? Most teenage girls have some PMS. Backache and breast tenderness are common physical symptoms. Irritability, anxiety, and mood swings are common emotional symptoms. Eating sweets, education level, and family circumstances are linked to PMS, but body weight is not. Survey study, 2022 What factors are associated with irregular menstrual cycles and how do irregular cycles affect other symptoms? Irregular cycles (varying by more than 7 days) affected 21% of nurses. Higher weight, lack of vigorous exercise, shift work, and heavy lifting were associated with irregular cycles. Women with irregular cycles also reported more depression, anxiety, stress, fatigue, and sleep problems. Survey study, 2022 Does SPRM treatment change brain structure in women with PMDD? No. After three months of SPRM treatment compared with placebo, there were no visible changes to brain structure. Brain changes did not correspond to symptom improvement. Study, 2022 How does the menstrual cycle affect teenage girls' physical and mental health? Teenage girls aged 13-16 showed worsening of premenstrual symptoms, emotional wellbeing, and school adjustment during the premenstrual phase compared to after menstruation. Physical health was an important factor. Cohort study, 2022 Do women with both bipolar disorder and PMDD have worse biological rhythm disruptions? Yes, women with both bipolar disorder and PMDD experienced greater disruptions in biological rhythms across both the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle, especially in sleep and activity patterns. Case-control study, 2022 Does the menstrual cycle affect how women without PMS pay attention to emotional faces? No, women without PMS show the same level of attention to emotional faces throughout their menstrual cycle. This suggests emotional changes during the cycle may be specific to people who have PMS. Study, 2022 Which premenstrual symptoms change with the menstrual cycle in midlife women? Mood, muscle and nerve, and body-wide symptoms worsen before the period in women reporting PMS. Hot flashes and sleep problems do not follow this pattern, and menopausal transition stage does not affect any symptoms. Survey study, 2022 Do female athletes get enough knowledge and support about their period? No. Most lack knowledge and rarely discuss menstrual health with coaches. 81% said it is taboo in sports. Survey study, 2022 Does PMDD affect how confident university students feel about their schoolwork? Yes, university students with PMDD report significantly lower confidence in their ability to do schoolwork and other tasks compared to students without PMDD. Survey study, 2022 What treatments do working women use for PMS? Most working women (54.3%) use both medicine and other approaches. Common medicines are ponstan and paracetamol. Common non-medicine approaches are exercise and psychological therapy. Randomised trial, 2022 Does having an irregular menstrual cycle before pregnancy increase depression during pregnancy? Yes, women with irregular cycles before pregnancy were more likely to have depression during pregnancy. Cycle length itself did not predict depression, only how consistent the cycles were. Survey study, 2022 How common are premenstrual symptoms, and do they change with age? Very common. Food cravings affect 85%, mood swings 64%, and fatigue 57%. Several symptoms got worse with age, but mood symptoms stayed the same across all age groups. Cohort study, 2022 What are PMS and PMDD and how should they be diagnosed and treated? PMS involves 1-4 symptoms or 5 or more physical or behavioral symptoms. PMDD requires 5 or more symptoms with at least one mood symptom like irritability or mood swings. Treatments include exercise, cognitive behavioral therapy, and medications like SSRIs and hormonal contraceptives. Randomised trial, 2022 How common are suicidal thoughts in women with PMDD, and what factors are associated with them? About 4 in 10 women with confirmed PMDD reported current suicidal thoughts in the luteal phase. Those with previous psychological treatment and higher depression were more likely to have suicidal thoughts, while better perceived health was protective. We can be confident in this prevalence estimate. Lab study, 2022 Does attention to other people's faces change during the menstrual cycle? Attention to faces changes during the cycle. In the late follicular phase, women's eyes showed more distraction by faces. In the mid-luteal phase, this pattern did not occur. Women also remembered targets better in the late follicular phase. Survey study, 2022 Do stress and rumination increase with PMS severity? Yes. Women with more severe PMS symptoms had higher levels of stress, anxiety, depression and rumination. Momentary stress and rumination also increased during the premenstrual phase of the cycle. Systematic review, 2022 Do anxiety disorders, PTSD and OCD get worse at certain points in the menstrual cycle? For some women, yes. A review of 14 studies found that symptoms of several anxiety-related disorders tend to flare around the days before and after the period starts, but this pattern doesn't happen in every woman. Study, 2022 Does having COVID-19 affect premenstrual syndrome symptoms? Yes. Women who recovered from COVID-19 within the previous 6 months reported more PMS symptoms than women who had never had COVID-19. Survey study, 2022 How common is PMDD in women and does exercise help? PMDD symptoms are very common (85% of women), with 19% having severe symptoms. Women who do not exercise regularly have worse PMDD, and higher body weight increases severity. Survey study, 2022 Does regular exercise reduce period symptoms? Women who exercise regularly have less severe period symptoms, especially mood changes and social withdrawal before their period. This observational study cannot prove exercise causes the improvement. Survey study, 2021 Did COVID-19 stress make PMS worse for young women? Young women who experienced trauma symptoms from COVID-19 had more severe PMS symptoms than those without trauma. This observational study cannot prove that COVID stress causes worse PMS. Randomised trial, 2021 Does blocking progesterone receptors help women with PMDD control anger and aggression? Yes, according to this study. Women taking the medication had a 93% response rate compared with 53.3% on placebo, and their brains showed stronger activity in emotion control regions. Case-control study, 2021 Do women with PMDD have different brain responses to emotions? Yes. Women with PMDD showed different patterns of brain activation when processing anger and sadness, and reported more difficulty recognizing emotions. We can be fairly confident because the study was carefully designed, but findings come from brain imaging which requires interpretation. Cohort study, 2021 Does tooth sensitivity change across the menstrual cycle? Women had significantly higher sensitivity to cold pain during the menstrual phase compared to other phases. The evidence is moderately strong from this small longitudinal study. Non-randomised trial, 2021 Does teaching girls about PMS improve their knowledge? Yes. Knowledge about PMS increased from 24.1% to 56.3% in girls who received the educational program, while the comparison group showed no improvement. Non-randomised trial, 2021 Does progressive muscle relaxation taught via mobile app reduce PMS symptoms in adolescents? Yes, progressive muscle relaxation via mobile app reduced PMS symptoms. There was a clear difference between the treatment group and the control group. Cohort study, 2021 Does the menstrual cycle change how brain regions connect with each other? Yes. The menstrual cycle changes how brain regions connect, particularly around ovulation, and these changes relate to estradiol levels and well-being. This is a small study (24 women) so the findings need confirmation in larger groups. Survey study, 2021 Does exercise and diet affect PMS symptoms in teenagers? Girls who exercised more and had better diet had fewer PMS symptoms. This was studied during pandemic lockdown when normal activity and eating patterns had changed. Survey study, 2021 Does weight affect PMS in young women? Young women who were overweight or obese were more likely to have PMS, suggesting weight may matter for PMS, though we can't prove it causes PMS. Survey study, 2021 What factors affect premenstrual syndrome in teenage girls? Multiple factors affect PMS. These include how active you are physically, what you eat (especially coffee), stress, and feelings of insecurity. Survey study, 2021 Is there a reliable tool to measure menstrual distress? Researchers created MEDI-Q, a 25-question questionnaire that reliably measures menstrual distress and can identify women experiencing significant period-related problems. Survey study, 2021 Does physical activity or age at first period affect how much PMS a teenage girl experiences? Physical activity showed a significant relationship with PMS (p=0.030), meaning girls with low activity had more PMS. Age of menarche did not show a significant relationship (p=0.073). Study, 2021 Do women's personalities and marriages change between different phases of the menstrual cycle? Yes. Women showed less healthy personality traits and lower marital satisfaction during the luteal phase (later part of cycle) compared to follicular phase (earlier part). Changes were larger in women with clear PMS. Survey study, 2021 Does the menstrual cycle affect women's ability to train and compete? Yes. Women who experienced more frequent menstrual symptoms were significantly more likely to miss or change their training, miss competitions, miss work or school, and use pain medication. Case-control study, 2021 Does period pain only affect you during your period? No. Women with dysmenorrhea had worse balance and coordination problems both during menstruation and on days when they felt well, suggesting it affects them continuously. Randomised trial, 2021 Does ulipristal acetate help premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Yes. After 3 months, women taking ulipristal acetate had 41% improvement in symptoms versus 22% with placebo, and 50% achieved full remission versus 21% with placebo. Case-control study, 2021 Does sleep quality change across the menstrual cycle in women with anxiety disorders? Sleep quality remained mostly stable across menstrual cycle phases in both groups. The only link found was that larger increases in estradiol were associated with fewer nighttime awakenings. Survey study, 2021 Does the menstrual cycle affect how emotions and heart rate connect? In the luteal phase, women's sadness, stress, and anxiety were linked to increased heart rate and reduced heart rhythm variation, but this was not seen in the follicular phase. Women also showed larger heart rate increases with anger than men. Survey study, 2021 Does being overweight or not getting enough calcium affect PMS? Being overweight is linked to more severe PMS. Getting enough calcium does not appear to affect PMS severity. Survey study, 2021 Does cognitive-behavioral emotional regulation training help women with PMDD? Yes. Training significantly improved marital happiness and emotional regulation in women with PMDD. This was a small study with a control group, so the effect is promising but needs confirmation in larger studies. Survey study, 2021 Does COVID-19 stress affect menstrual cycle regularity? Women healthcare workers with irregular periods reported significantly higher stress, anxiety, and depression linked to COVID-19 compared to women with regular periods. About 28.7% of the women in the study had irregular cycles during the pandemic. Survey study, 2021 How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect women's menstrual cycles and symptoms? Nearly half of women reported worsening of their PMS symptoms during the pandemic. Many also reported changes in their menstrual bleeding, increased period pain, and missed periods. Case-control study, 2021 Does depression affect whether a screening tool accurately identifies PMS? Yes. A screening tool for PMS overidentified PMS in depressed women compared to tracking daily symptoms. Women with depression may report more PMS symptoms on a screening tool than they actually experience day-to-day. Survey study, 2021 Is starting your period early linked to spending more time on social media? Yes. Girls who started their periods at a younger age spent more hours each day on social media. Higher body weight partially explained this link. Lab study, 2020 Are there different types of PMDD based on when symptoms appear and disappear? Yes. Some women have PMDD symptoms only in the week before their period, others have severe symptoms for the full two weeks before menstruation, and others have premenstrual symptoms that take a long time to improve. Cohort study, 2020 Are calcium and magnesium levels lower in women with PMS? Yes. Women with PMS had significantly lower calcium (8.3 vs 9.1 mg/dL) and magnesium (1.5 vs 1.9 mg/dL) levels compared to healthy women. Cohort study, 2020 Are women with PMDD more likely to have generalized anxiety disorder? Yes, women with generalized anxiety disorder were 7.65 times more likely to have PMDD than those without it. The connection between the two conditions was explained by depression and partly by behavior inhibition and irritability. Cohort study, 2020 Can air pollution affect how long the phases of the menstrual cycle last? Air pollution may slightly extend the follicular phase (the time before ovulation) by 0.7 to 1.6 days depending on pollutant type, but this finding needs confirmation in larger studies. Study, 2020 Does the menstrual cycle affect anger and aggression in women with borderline personality disorder? Yes, the menstrual cycle affects how anger is expressed as aggression. Reactive aggression (responding aggressively to others) peaked during the midluteal phase, while planned aggression was highest during earlier phases when mood was more stable. Randomised trial, 2020 Does St. John's Wort reduce PMS symptoms? Yes. St. John's Wort (perforan) significantly reduced physical and behavioral PMS symptoms compared to placebo in all three months of the study. Lab study, 2020 Does anxiety sensitivity change during different parts of the menstrual cycle? No, not much. Anxiety sensitivity remained relatively stable across the menstrual cycle phases tested, even in women with PTSD. Randomised trial, 2020 Does the menstrual cycle phase affect how the brain responds to food pictures? The luteal phase showed slightly stronger brain responses to high-calorie food pictures, and this response was linked to higher progesterone levels and more severe premenstrual symptoms. Lab study, 2020 Does progesterone affect how women pay attention to social information? Higher progesterone levels, which occur in the luteal phase of the cycle, made women pay more attention to social information and process it more accurately. However, this heightened sensitivity might contribute to mood problems in some women. Case-control study, 2020 Do appetite hormones and eating behaviors change differently across the luteal phase in women with PMDD? Women with PMDD have higher leptin levels throughout the luteal phase and show increased sweet cravings and uncontrolled eating, but changes in leptin are not linked to eating changes while depression and impulsivity are more important. Study, 2020 Does drinking and craving change across the menstrual cycle in women treated for alcohol use disorder? Yes. Women drank most during the mid-late luteal phase and menses. Women with less depression who felt less emotional stress during these times reported stronger alcohol cravings. Case-control study, 2020 Does fatigue change across the menstrual cycle, especially in women with anxiety? Mental fatigue increases during the high-hormone phase in healthy women, rising to levels that women with anxiety disorder experience. Physical fatigue does not change, and hormone levels alone do not explain fatigue. Survey study, 2020 Are negative feelings about fairness and menstruation linked to stronger premenstrual symptoms? Yes. Women who feel their suffering from menstruation is unfair, and those with negative views of menstruation, report stronger premenstrual symptoms. The connections are clear. Case-control study, 2020 Do negative thoughts affect mood more strongly in women with PMDD? Yes. In women with PMDD, negative thoughts had stronger effects on later negative mood, especially in the late luteal phase. This suggests mindfulness-based approaches could help. Survey study, 2020 How are sleep problems, mood disorders and the menstrual cycle connected? About one third of women have disrupted sleep before their period, especially those with premenstrual mood disorders. Hormonal changes and circadian rhythm disruption likely explain this. Randomised trial, 2020 Do steroid metabolites differ between women with PMDD and those without? Yes. Women with PMDD show different patterns of certain steroid metabolites, particularly sulfated forms, which may relate to how their bodies process hormones. Randomised trial, 2020 Does progesterone therapy help premenstrual syndrome in women with PCOS? Yes, progesterone significantly reduced multiple emotional PMS symptoms in women with PCOS, including depression, anxiety, and mood swings. Case-control study, 2020 Are brain networks organized differently in women with PMDD? Yes, women with PMDD showed altered communication patterns between brain regions in both cycle phases. The study is relatively small, so results need confirmation in larger groups. Survey study, 2020 What topics are researchers most interested in studying about PMS and PMDD? Researchers have published 2,833 papers on PMS and PMDD from 1945 to 2018, with growing focus on depression, anxiety, and how these conditions affect young women. Survey study, 2019 Does the big hormonal surge at ovulation affect emotional eating later in the cycle? No clear link was found between the sudden hormone changes at ovulation and later emotional eating. Overall hormone levels mattered more than the sudden changes. Survey study, 2019 Do women with PMS have different nutrient levels than healthy women? Yes. Women with PMS had significantly lower vitamin D levels than healthy women. Other minerals tested showed no significant differences. However, this does not prove that low vitamin D causes PMS. Survey study, 2019 Does the luteal phase worsen anxiety and checking behaviors? Checking behaviors and anxiety-related brain responses stay about the same between cycle phases, but they are more strongly linked during the luteal phase. Systematic review, 2019 Do lithium and valproate levels change during the menstrual cycle? In women with bipolar disorder, lithium levels decreased during the luteal phase (before the period) despite stable doses, linked to worsening mood symptoms. In healthy women, lithium levels were not affected by the menstrual cycle. Review, 2019 How do brain changes during reproductive transitions cause depression in women? A review of brain imaging studies found that depression related to reproductive cycle changes involves different brain activation patterns than typical major depression. Understanding these differences might help develop better treatments, though the causes remain unclear. Survey study, 2019 Does PMS affect quality of life in healthcare workers? Yes, quality of life is significantly reduced in healthcare workers with PMS, especially when symptoms are more severe. Quality of life is also worse in women who are older, work certain job types, are married, or have irregular cycles. Survey study, 2019 What diet and lifestyle factors are linked to PMS in university students? Smoking and eating foods high in calories, fat, sugar, and salt were linked to higher PMS risk among university students in the UAE. This observational study cannot prove these factors cause PMS. Case-control study, 2019 Does the menstrual cycle affect how women's brains process emotions? Women's brain activity during emotion processing changes with menstrual cycle phase. In the late-luteal phase, women showed reduced reward processing, less enjoyment, and more sadness compared to the mid-follicular phase and compared to men. Case-control study, 2019 Do women with PMDD respond differently to stress? Yes, women with PMDD reported higher daily stress and negative mood in response to stressors in the late luteal phase, and showed different stress hormone patterns. The observation period was short, so results need confirmation. Study, 2019 Can an educational health program reduce depression and anxiety in women with PMS? Yes. An 8-week program on healthy living and mental health reduced depression and anxiety in women with PMS. Depression dropped from 15 to 8.01 on average, and anxiety dropped from 9.1 to 4.73. Survey study, 2019 What causes severe PMS in female college students with disabilities? The strongest causes of severe PMS were interpersonal stress, gynecological disease, and irregular exercise. Mindfulness and acceptance were the strongest predictors of symptom relief. Case-control study, 2019 Does weight and body composition affect the risk of PMS? Yes, but in a surprising direction. Women with lower BMI had PMS more often than women with higher BMI. Women with PMS also had more muscle and water and less body fat. Study, 2019 Which works better for PMS: aerobic exercise or yoga? Both aerobic exercise and yoga significantly reduced PMS symptoms and pain. Yoga was more effective at reducing overall PMS symptoms, but both were equally effective at reducing pain. Randomised trial, 2019 Does yoga reduce anxiety in women with PMS? Yes, yoga significantly reduced anxiety symptoms in women with PMS compared to no yoga. Diastolic blood pressure also improved. Randomised trial, 2019 Does yoga help depression and blood pressure in women with premenstrual syndrome? Yes. Yoga significantly reduced depression scores and lowered diastolic blood pressure in women with PMS and depression. Randomised trial, 2018 Does a phosphatidylserine and phosphatidic acid supplement reduce PMS symptoms? Yes, women taking this supplement had significantly better improvement in PMS symptoms compared to placebo, including improvements in physical and depressive symptoms. The study was small but well-designed. Study, 2018 Do women with PMDD struggle to control emotions because of different brain activity? Yes. During the late luteal (premenstrual) phase, women with PMDD had less activity in parts of the brain involved in controlling emotions compared to control women and compared to their own activity during the early cycle phase. Survey study, 2018 Can we measure PMS in mothers who are raising young children? Yes. Researchers developed a reliable 38-item scale that measures five main types of PMS in mothers. The scale links to stress and depression risk. Study, 2018 How cost-effective is medication for PMDD? Medication for PMDD improved quality of life and was cost-effective. The choice between escitalopram and sertraline depends on how much improvement is valued. Case-control study, 2018 Does PMS affect thinking and memory? Women with PMS showed slower brain responses to sounds compared to women without PMS, suggesting possible cognitive effects, though memory itself was not directly tested. Case-control study, 2018 Do women with PMDD crave different foods than healthy women? Yes. Women with PMDD had stronger cravings for highly sweet foods before their period, while healthy women did not show this pattern. The difference was clear. Survey study, 2018 What causes irregular periods? About 14.3% of Korean women aged 19-40 have irregular periods. Stress and depressive mood are the main causes, not medical conditions. Stress is the strongest factor. Cohort study, 2018 Does progesterone affect women's anxiety across the menstrual cycle? Yes. Women with higher average progesterone reported higher anxiety, and anxiety increased as progesterone rose during the cycle. Both studies showed this link. Survey study, 2018 Do women who exercise regularly have fewer PMS and period pain symptoms than sedentary women? Yes. Sedentary women had significantly more period pain (82% vs 46%) and more PMS symptoms like depressed mood, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. Study, 2018 Does a relaxation exercise help reduce physical stress responses in women with PMS? Yes, women who did 61-point relaxation exercises showed clear reductions in blood pressure, heart rate, and muscle tension, with increased skin temperature. These changes appeared after three menstrual cycles of practice. Lab study, 2018 Does the menstrual cycle change the chemicals in our exhaled breath? Yes. The pattern of volatile chemicals in exhaled breath changes throughout the menstrual cycle, with the most noticeable changes during the premenstrual period and menstruation. Lab study, 2018 How does depression affect menstrual function and fertility in women? Women with depression are more likely to have PMS and irregular periods. Depression also appears linked to fewer pregnancies and children. Depression starting at puberty has the worst effects on menstrual and reproductive health. Survey study, 2018 Does how women think about menstruation affect their PMS symptoms? Yes, women who view menstruation as debilitating or bothersome reported more PMS symptoms than those with more positive views. Study, 2017 Does how well your body works during exercise change across your menstrual cycle? Yes. Your body works best during the two weeks right after your period and after ovulation, with the strongest heart and lung function in those phases. Survey study, 2017 Does less sleep lead to irregular periods in teenage girls? Yes. Girls who sleep 5 hours or less per night are much more likely to have irregular periods than those who sleep 8 or more hours. Of 801 girls studied, 15% had irregular periods. Randomised trial, 2017 Does the menstrual cycle affect cortisol levels or cigarette craving during smoking abstinence? The menstrual cycle did not affect cortisol levels during early smoking abstinence. However, cigarette craving behaved differently in different phases. It increased early in the follicular phase but decreased during the luteal phase. Lab study, 2017 Do women with PMS process emotions differently? Yes. Women with PMS are slower to respond to emotional pictures and faces during their premenstrual phase, compared to women without PMS. Cohort study, 2017 Do changes in female sex hormones during the menstrual cycle cause mood changes? No, this study found no link between hormone fluctuations and mood changes across the menstrual cycle. Mood did not worsen before the period despite hormone changes. Survey study, 2017 Does painful menstruation affect adolescent girls' mood, emotions, sleep, and thinking? Yes. Girls with painful periods had higher depression, aggression, and sleep problems compared to girls without painful periods. However, thinking ability was not affected. Girls with only PMS (without pain) were similar to girls without either condition. Cohort study, 2017 Do birth control pills affect mood in healthy women without PMS? In healthy women without PMS, birth control pills did not change overall positive or negative mood. However, pill users had fewer mood swings and fewer ruminating negative thoughts. Cohort study, 2017 Which PMS symptoms best predict that PMS will interfere with work, relationships, and activities? Psychological and emotional symptoms are the strongest predictors of how much PMS interferes with daily life. Having at least four cyclical symptoms best predicts significant impairment. Survey study, 2017 Does asthma get worse before your period? Some women report asthma that worsens before their period, but research has not proven this happens consistently or identified what causes it. Different studies measured this so differently that no clear conclusion can be drawn. Survey study, 2017 How common are PMS and PMDD, and how much do they affect women's daily life? About one in five young women have PMS and one in 14 have PMDD. Both cause real problems with work and school productivity. Case-control study, 2017 What cellular changes might explain why some women develop PMDD? Researchers found that women with PMDD have abnormal differences in genes related to a protein complex called ESC/E(Z), which helps cells respond to hormones. This could explain why women develop PMDD even when their hormone levels are normal. Case-control study, 2017 Do women with PMS respond to stress and emotions differently than other women? Yes. Women with PMS had higher negative emotions, lower positive emotions, and stronger physical stress responses than women without PMS. These differences persisted across both menstrual phases, suggesting they are not tied to cycle timing alone. Survey study, 2017 Are mental health problems linked to irregular periods in teenage girls? Yes. Girls with high stress are 1.88 times more likely to have irregular periods, those with depression are 2.01 times more likely, and those receiving counseling are 2.92 times more likely. Study, 2017 Does menstrual cycle phase affect how much pain women feel when orthodontic treatment starts? Yes. Women in the follicular phase experienced less pain after the initial archwire was placed compared to women in the luteal phase. Randomised trial, 2017 Do hormones process differently in women with PMDD? Women with PMDD process certain sulfated steroid hormones differently than others, especially estradiol and DHEA metabolites. The study was very small and tested only women who were known to be hormone-sensitive, so the findings may not apply to all PMDD. Randomised trial, 2017 Does Sepranolone reduce symptoms of severe premenstrual syndrome (PMDD)? Yes, Sepranolone reduced PMDD symptoms significantly more than placebo, with severe symptom scores dropping by 75% compared to 47% for placebo in women who completed treatment correctly. However, implementation challenges limit confidence in the results. Lab study, 2017 Is PMDD just normal menstrual cycle mood changes amplified? No. In healthy young women, most mood variation (79%-98%) was from day-to-day changes, not from premenstrual patterns. Each person's mood pattern stayed the same from cycle to cycle, suggesting PMDD is different from normal mood variation. Survey study, 2016 Does the menstrual cycle affect daily mood, and does anxiety or rumination change this effect? Calmness was higher during menstrual and luteal phases. Women with high anxiety and rumination experienced worse irritability before their period, while those with low anxiety were protected from mood worsening. Survey study, 2016 Do vitamin B1 and calcium reduce PMS symptoms? Yes. Both vitamin B1 and calcium reduced physical PMS symptoms more than placebo after 2 months. Calcium was better at reducing mood-related symptoms, while both worked equally on physical symptoms. Survey study, 2016 Does hormonal birth control affect sexual desire across the menstrual cycle? This study of 89 couples found that women on hormonal birth control pills did not show cycle-related changes in sexual desire that naturally cycling women have. Sexual intercourse frequency declined slightly toward the end of pill cycles. Randomised trial, 2016 Does Pilates or vitamin E reduce PMS symptoms? Yes. Both Pilates and vitamin E reduced mood and physical symptoms and their impact on daily life, with the two together improving PMS more than either alone. Case-control study, 2016 Why do women with PMDD experience more pain, and is their body's natural pain control system working properly? Women with PMDD experience greater pain during the late-luteal phase and increased spinal sensitivity during ovulation. Their pain-blocking system works normally, suggesting pain stems from spinal cord sensitivity rather than a brain problem. Survey study, 2016 Do paranoid thinking and self-esteem change across the menstrual cycle? Yes. During the paramenstrual phase (3 days before and after the period), women reported more feelings of persecution, lower positive self-esteem, higher negative self-esteem, and more anxiety and depression compared to mid-cycle. The difference was clear. Review, 2016 How do reproductive hormones affect mood and behavior in women? Reproductive hormones are powerful regulators of mood and behavior. Changes in hormone levels during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause can trigger mood problems in women who are biologically sensitive to these changes. Randomised trial, 2016 Can relaxation and positive self-talk reduce PMS symptoms? Yes. Both relaxation and positive self-talk reduced PMS symptoms compared to no treatment, and combining the two worked better than either alone. Randomised trial, 2016 Does using birth control pills with fewer pill-free days reduce menstrual symptoms? Yes. Using birth control pills with shorter pill-free intervals (fewer days off the pill) reduces menstrual bleeding and related inflammation, which decreases physical and mental symptoms. Cohort study, 2015 Do genetic influences on emotional eating change across the menstrual cycle? Yes. Genetic influences on emotional eating were two times higher after ovulation compared to before ovulation. Before ovulation, environmental factors played a larger role. Randomised trial, 2015 Does spousal support decrease women's premenstrual syndrome symptoms? Yes, it does. When spouses received education about supportive behaviors, women's physical and psychological symptoms decreased significantly after 3 months. Study, 2015 Does how your brain processes visual information change during your menstrual cycle? Yes. During the second half of your cycle, your brain responds more strongly to visual images compared to men. Study, 2015 Does premenstrual tension slow how quickly women react to sounds and lights? Yes. Women took longer to react to both sounds and lights during their premenstrual phase compared to the postmenstrual phase. Survey study, 2015 Does estradiol level affect how women respond to stress? Yes, women with high estradiol levels showed smaller stress responses in the brain and reported less emotional distress when exposed to a stressful task, compared to women with low estradiol levels. Case-control study, 2015 Do women with fibromyalgia have more premenstrual syndrome and period pain than other women? Yes. Women with fibromyalgia were significantly more likely to have PMS (42% vs 25%) and period pain (41% vs 28%) than healthy women. Review, 2015 Does a progesterone metabolite called allopregnanolone cause mood problems in PMDD? In some women with PMDD, the progesterone metabolite allopregnanolone is linked to negative mood during the luteal phase, despite being expected to be calming. A preliminary clinical trial of a blocking agent called isoallopregnanolone showed good effects in treating PMDD symptoms. Study, 2015 Does treating the uterus with injections and freezing help severe PMS and PMDD? Women in this study who received cervical injections and freezing showed very large improvements in their PMS and PMDD symptoms. Case-control study, 2015 Does lamotrigine reduce menstrual cycle-related mood changes in women with bipolar disorder? Women with treated bipolar disorder showed greater mood and sleep changes across the menstrual cycle compared to healthy women. Women taking lamotrigine had less mood fluctuation and were more similar to healthy women than those not taking lamotrigine. Randomised trial, 2015 Does menstrual cycle change stress effects on cortisol and memory? Yes. When hormones are low (follicular), stress triggers strong cortisol responses that impair emotional memory, but when hormones are high (luteal), stress does not produce this cortisol response. Case-control study, 2015 Does the menstrual cycle affect psychological symptoms differently in women with PTSD? Psychological symptoms including depression and anxiety were worse during the early follicular phase compared to the midluteal phase. Women with PTSD showed worse phobic anxiety in the early follicular phase, while women without PTSD did not show this pattern. Survey study, 2015 Does progesterone affect brain response to emotions differently in anxious women? Yes. Women who are naturally more anxious show a stronger brain response to emotional pictures, and this response is strongest during the luteal phase when progesterone is high. Case-control study, 2015 Is brain-derived neurotrophic factor different in women with PMDD across the menstrual cycle? Yes. Women with PMDD had significantly higher BDNF levels during the luteal phase (before the period) compared to the follicular phase, and higher luteal levels than women without PMDD. Study, 2015 Does weight preoccupation change during the menstrual cycle, and what causes these changes? Yes, weight preoccupation is highest in the premenstrual and menstrual phases. However, hormones are not the main cause. Emotional eating is the strongest predictor of when women worry more about weight during the cycle. Cohort study, 2015 Do leptin levels explain why women with PMDD eat more before their period? In normal-weight women with PMDD, lower leptin levels before the period are linked with eating more and wanting sweets. In overweight women with PMDD, leptin doesn't drop, but they still eat more sweets, possibly increasing their risk of leptin resistance. Study, 2014 Do women with PMDD lose the normal ability to control pain with emotions? No. Women with PMDD and control women both showed the same pattern: pain was strongest during negative emotions and weakest during positive emotions, regardless of cycle phase. Randomised trial, 2014 Does alcohol change brain activity during the menstrual cycle? Yes. Alcohol changed how the brain worked during thinking tasks, with effects varying by menstrual cycle phase, though the study was small. Review, 2014 Does the menstrual cycle affect mood episodes in women with bipolar disorder? Yes, for many women. Many women with bipolar disorder experience changes in depressive, manic or hypomanic episodes linked to their menstrual cycle, though this varies widely between women. Case-control study, 2014 Are reward and punishment sensitivity different in women with PMDD and related to hormone levels? Yes. Women with PMDD show heightened reward sensitivity and increased sensitivity to negative stimuli during the premenstrual phase, which are related to progesterone levels. Non-randomised trial, 2014 Does the menstrual cycle phase change how one night of poor sleep affects the stress hormone cortisol? Yes, one night of sleep restriction raised cortisol responses in women in the follicular phase, but not in women in the luteal phase, so cycle timing seems to matter. Survey study, 2014 Are depression and anxiety linked to period pain in teenage girls? Yes. Girls with painful periods had higher anxiety and depression scores than those without. Girls with the most severe form of PMS had much higher scores. Review, 2014 How does the menstrual cycle affect thinking, memory, and emotions? The evidence for how the menstrual cycle affects thinking and memory is weak and inconsistent. However, emotional changes are more consistently related to the cycle, with high progesterone levels linked to stronger emotional processing in the brain. Randomised trial, 2014 How do menstrual cycle phase and depression affect smoking withdrawal symptoms? Depression level was more strongly linked to withdrawal symptoms than menstrual phase. However, the combination of depression and menstrual phase may worsen mood and period pain. Study, 2014 Does the menstrual cycle phase affect how women respond to nicotine? Yes. Women in the luteal phase showed reduced sensitivity to nicotine's effects and performed better on thinking tasks compared to women in the follicular phase, suggesting the luteal phase may reduce nicotine's rewarding effects. Study, 2014 What does brain activity show us about PMDD? Women with PMDD show more activity in brain areas that control emotions. This might help explain mood symptoms, but scientists are still working out what this activity means. Randomised trial, 2014 Does teaching married men about PMS improve marital satisfaction? Yes, when married men learned about PMS through pamphlets or text messages, both their knowledge and the couple's marital satisfaction increased significantly. Both methods worked equally well. Study, 2014 Do women and men respond differently to sudden loud noises, and does the menstrual cycle matter? The menstrual cycle affects how women respond to sudden loud sounds, but being female versus male alone does not clearly affect this. Survey study, 2013 Does how well you recognize emotions change depending on where you are in your menstrual cycle? Yes, slightly. Women in the follicular phase recognized emotions more accurately. Women in the luteal phase reacted faster to sad and angry emotions, linked to progesterone levels. Randomised trial, 2013 Do women with PMDD have heightened pain sensitivity related to stress? Yes, women with menstrually-related mood disorder have more sensitive pain-sensing systems. A stress-blocking drug (propranolol) reduced emotional aspects of pain in these women but worked differently than in healthy controls. Case-control study, 2013 Does the prefrontal cortex function differently in women with PMDD? Brain scans showed that women with PMDD have greater activity in a part of the brain called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during thinking tasks, regardless of hormone levels. Higher activity was linked with more severe symptoms. Randomised trial, 2013 Does yoga reduce PMS symptoms and physical stress markers? Yes. Women who did yoga for 3 months had significantly lower heart rate, blood pressure, anger, depression, and anxiety, and higher sense of wellbeing compared to controls. Survey study, 2013 Do personality traits affect whether hormone changes cause emotional eating? Hormone changes predict emotional eating, but personality traits like negative urgency and negative emotionality don't explain why some women are more affected. Randomised trial, 2013 Does menstrual phase and depression affect how women respond to nicotine after quitting smoking? Yes, but mainly in women without depression. Women without depression showed larger cycle-phase differences in heart rate, blood pressure, and nicotine response. Non-randomised trial, 2013 Does menstrual cycle phase affect protective hormones during smoking cessation? Yes. Allopregnanolone (a hormone related to progesterone) decreased by 10% during smoking cessation in the follicular phase but increased by 31% in the luteal phase, which may explain why the luteal phase is better for quitting smoking. Cohort study, 2013 Is premenstrual mood change common, or do other factors matter more? Only about half of mood measures showed any menstrual cycle connection. Physical health, stress, and social support were far stronger predictors of daily mood than the menstrual cycle phase. Survey study, 2013 Do body weight and eating control affect whether hormones cause emotional eating? Hormones affect emotional eating. Body weight does not change this relationship, though strict eating control might have a small effect. Survey study, 2013 Are menstrual symptoms common in middle-aged women and do they relate to hot flushes? Cramping is common (54%) but mood symptoms are less frequent (8-9%). Cramping and back pain were associated with hot flushes, suggesting hormonal changes may affect both. Lab study, 2013 Does the menstrual cycle affect how well women remember emotional stories? Women in the high-hormone luteal phase remember more extra details from emotional stories, while women in the low-hormone follicular phase show no difference between emotional and neutral stories. Men remember the main plot better from emotional stories. Study, 2013 Do hormone changes during the menstrual cycle cause increases in emotional eating? Yes. Changes in estrogen and progesterone together predict changes in emotional eating, with the highest emotional eating occurring during the midluteal phase when progesterone peaks. Cohort study, 2013 Do women who are prone to anxiety experience more severe menstrual symptoms? Women with higher anxiety sensitivity reported greater menstrual symptoms regardless of which phase of their cycle they were in, compared to women with lower anxiety sensitivity. This suggests anxiety sensitivity may be an important factor in how severe menstrual symptoms feel. Randomised trial, 2013 Does progesterone reduce PMS symptoms in women with polycystic ovary syndrome? Yes. Women with PCOS and PMS who took progesterone had significant reductions in depression, anxiety, mood swings, bloating, and several other PMS symptoms compared to placebo. Cohort study, 2012 When exactly do PMDD symptoms occur in the menstrual cycle? Symptoms are usually most severe in the few days before your period starts and in the first few days of bleeding. Having 4 or more symptoms that disrupt your life is a key sign of PMDD. Study, 2012 Does stress affect your body differently during your luteal phase? Yes, women show greater heart rate and blood pressure increases to stress during their luteal phase compared to their follicular phase. Sleep and negative mood together affect how much anxiety stress causes during the luteal phase. Study, 2012 Is low progesterone linked to aggressive behavior and fatigue before menstruation? Yes. Women with lower aggressive behavior and fatigue had higher progesterone levels during the second half of the cycle. The study suggests that low progesterone may contribute to aggressive behavior and fatigue. Randomised trial, 2012 Do women with PMDD have different emotional brain responses across the menstrual cycle? Women with PMDD showed different emotional brain patterns during the follicular phase and links to anxiety and progesterone levels, rather than a simple luteal phase increase. Anxiety proneness and progesterone appear to modulate emotional reactivity in PMDD. Survey study, 2012 Do girls feel more prepared and positive about menstruation if they talk with their mother about it? Yes. Girls who discussed the emotional side of menstruation with their mothers were much more likely to feel prepared. Feeling prepared was linked to having more positive attitudes about menstruation. Study, 2012 Do women with severe PMS have poor sleep quality? Women with severe PMS feel like they sleep poorly before menstruation, but measurements of their actual sleep don't show this. How they feel about sleep is strongly linked to anxiety. Survey study, 2012 What non-hormonal medications and therapies help severe PMS and PMDD? SSRIs (a type of antidepressant) are well-established for severe PMS and PMDD, taken either continuously or during the luteal phase. Cognitive-behaviour therapy, calcium, and chasteberry may also help, though the strength of evidence varies. Cohort study, 2012 How quickly does fluoxetine start working for PMDD symptoms? Very quickly. Fluoxetine improved irritability, sadness, anxiety, and mood swings within hours, with clear daily improvement by the second day. Review, 2012 Is depression linked to hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause? Yes. Depression tied to hormonal changes appears in the same women across three life stages (premenstrual, after birth, and menopause). Transdermal estrogen patches may be more effective as first-line treatment than antidepressants. Study, 2012 Does anxiety sensitivity affect panic symptoms differently at different menstrual cycle phases? Women with higher anxiety sensitivity had more panicked thoughts during the premenstrual phase compared to the follicular phase, and compared to women with lower anxiety sensitivity. Physical panic symptoms did not differ clearly. Case-control study, 2012 Do women with PMDD have working memory problems linked to concentration and irritability? Yes. Women with PMDD perform worse on working memory tasks during the luteal phase, and this decline is linked to difficulty concentrating, irritability, and reduced daily functioning. Review, 2011 Can estrogen hormones treat depression linked to the menstrual cycle? Yes, transdermal estrogen can treat depression linked to the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause by suppressing cyclical hormone changes. The challenge is balancing multiple hormones and managing progestogen side effects. Non-randomised trial, 2011 Do contraceptive patches work better than contraceptive pills for adolescents? Patch and pills had similar effects on mood, periods, and side effects over 9 cycles. Fewer people continued using the patch long-term, with 38% of patch users versus 60% of pill users still using their method after 9 cycles. Study, 2011 Do women with PMDD have more hostility and aggression than women without it? Women with PMDD had significantly higher levels of hostility, impulsive behavior, and behavior inhibition than women without PMDD during both phases. Higher hostility and impulsive behavior were linked to more severe irritability and daily difficulty. Cohort study, 2011 Is mood instability higher in women with PMS than in women without PMS? Yes. Women with PMS showed significantly more irritable and depressed mood instability than women without PMS, even at other times of the cycle besides the luteal phase. Survey study, 2011 Do smoking habits affect premenstrual and menstrual symptoms? Smokers had significantly more severe premenstrual and menstrual symptoms than non-smokers, especially pain, concentration problems, water retention, and mood changes. Worse symptoms were linked to higher nicotine dependence. Cohort study, 2011 Do women with bipolar disorder who have premenstrual mood changes do worse than those without? Yes. Among women with bipolar disorder, those with premenstrual mood changes had significantly more severe symptoms, relapsed faster, and had a worse course than those without premenstrual changes. Survey study, 2011 Is premenstrual syndrome more common in women born very premature? No. Premenstrual symptoms are not more common in women born preterm at very low birth weight compared to those born at normal term. Survey study, 2011 How common is PMS in working women, and do they know about it? Between 38% and 74% of working women have PMS depending on which diagnostic criteria are used. Most women did not know what PMS was and rarely saw doctors about it. Study, 2011 What treatments are discussed for PMS? Various treatments exist including hormonal approaches that stop ovulation and treating individual symptoms. Herbal drugs are described as effective and well tolerated for symptom relief. Study, 2011 Does sexual interest change at different times of your menstrual cycle? Women reported more sexual activity before ovulation, and sexual interest was connected to mood and energy levels rather than just hormones. Study, 2010 Does how the body responds to stress change during the menstrual cycle? Partly. Stress response is slightly different in follicular and luteal phases, and the type of stress matters. Anxiety response to mental stress was higher in the follicular phase. Randomised trial, 2010 Does the menstrual cycle phase affect smoking withdrawal severity and relapse risk? Yes. Women who quit smoking during the luteal phase (second half of the cycle) experienced more severe withdrawal and premenstrual symptoms. Anger and craving during quit attempts were linked to higher relapse risk. Survey study, 2010 Does the menstrual cycle change how emotions affect pain? In this study, emotions affected pain the same way during both phases of the menstrual cycle tested, suggesting the menstrual cycle may not change emotional effects on pain in healthy women. Case-control study, 2010 Do women with PMDD crave high-sugar and high-fat foods more than other women? Yes. Women with PMDD had higher cravings for sweet, fatty foods, especially during the luteal phase. This was linked to their greater sensitivity to food rewards and emotional response to food. Survey study, 2009 Can estrogen therapy help depression that worsens during hormonal cycle changes? High-dose estrogen has shown some success for depression linked to hormonal fluctuations, though standard antidepressants often do not work. Recognizing that depression follows the menstrual cycle or other hormonal changes is key to diagnosis. Randomised trial, 2009 Does the menstrual cycle phase affect a woman's ability to quit smoking? Yes. Women had significantly higher premenstrual symptoms and smoking urges in the luteal phase, and variability in these measures was linked to relapse. Cohort study, 2009 Does ovulation affect mood changes during the menstrual cycle in healthy women? Healthy women showed small mood changes across their cycle regardless of whether they ovulated, though women who did not ovulate had more variable but less negative mood overall. Mood changes did not depend on how long the luteal phase was. Survey study, 2009 Does PMS affect sports performance in female athletes? About half of female soccer athletes (47.32%) had PMS, and those with PMS felt their sports performance was noticeably affected. Athletes with more symptoms reported greater impact. Randomised trial, 2009 How quickly does paroxetine reduce premenstrual irritability? Very quickly. Paroxetine reduced premenstrual irritability within 14 hours, with significant improvement by day 3. Lab study, 2009 Does emotional response to sexual images change during the menstrual cycle? Yes. Women show more positive emotional reactions to images of nude men during the early part of the cycle compared to the later part. Non-randomised trial, 2008 Do mood, memory, and food cravings worsen during the luteal phase in women with PMDD? Yes. During the luteal phase, women with PMDD showed significantly worse mood, impaired memory and concentration, and increased cravings for fatty foods compared to their follicular phase and compared to women without PMDD. Survey study, 2008 Can we measure how much premenstrual symptoms affect a woman's quality of life? Yes. Researchers developed a brief 6-item survey that accurately identifies women with significant PMS or PMDD and measures its impact on daily life. Randomised trial, 2008 Does taking paroxetine only during the luteal phase help PMDD symptoms? Yes, paroxetine 20 mg taken during the luteal phase significantly reduced irritability in women with PMDD compared to placebo. The 10 mg dose was not significantly better than placebo. Study, 2008 Do women who are naturally anxious show bigger stress responses during certain parts of their menstrual cycle? Yes. Women who are naturally anxious showed the biggest stress response (more cortisol and higher blood pressure) during the early part of their menstrual cycle, but non-anxious women did not show this pattern. Randomised trial, 2008 Does taking more antidepressant just before the period help depression that worsens then? Yes. Women who increased sertraline dose during the premenstrual phase showed no worsening of depression at that time, while women on placebo still had significantly worse depression before their period. Case-control study, 2007 Does progesterone activate the part of the brain that handles fear and emotion? In 18 healthy women, taking progesterone doses that matched luteal phase levels significantly increased activity in the amygdala (the brain's emotion and fear center) when viewing emotional images. This may explain why progesterone could cause anxiety in women with PMDD. Survey study, 2007 Is depression before a period linked to depression at menopause? Yes. Women who were depressed premenstrually also tend to be depressed around menopause, suggesting a shared cause that may involve hormones, psychology, or both. This link held regardless of age or hormone therapy use. Case-control study, 2007 Do women with PMDD see emotions in faces differently during the luteal phase? Women with PMDD showed more negative bias during the luteal phase, seeing neutral faces as sadder than they were. The statistical effect was modest and might not hold up with stricter testing. Case-control study, 2007 Are there genes that increase the risk of PMDD? Genetic variations in the ESR1 gene (which codes for estrogen receptor alpha) appear linked to PMDD mood symptoms, suggesting genetic factors contribute to who develops the condition. This was found in a study of women with PMDD and unaffected controls. Systematic review, 2007 Does light exposure affect menstrual cycles through melatonin? Yes, there is evidence that light exposure affects menstrual cycles and symptoms through melatonin secretion. Women with bipolar disorder or polycystic ovary syndrome may be especially vulnerable. Lab study, 2007 Do women with PMDD show a stronger physical startle response during their cycle? Yes. Women with PMDD showed much stronger startle responses to a loud noise during the luteal phase (around their period) compared to the follicular phase, but healthy women did not show this pattern. Survey study, 2007 What causes premenstrual syndrome and how should it be treated? The abstract reviews existing research rather than new findings, noting that up to 90% of women report PMS symptoms but the condition still lacks clear definitions and proven treatments. Review, 2006 How do brain hormones affect PMDD and mood problems during the menstrual cycle? Probably yes. Brain hormones that change during the menstrual cycle may trigger mood problems in PMDD by working similarly to anti-anxiety drugs. PMDD affects 2-6% of reproductive women. Review, 2006 How do reproductive hormones affect mood in women with PMDD? Reproductive hormones regulate emotional processing and mood through specific brain circuits. The key question is why normal hormone levels destabilize mood in some women but not others. Case-control study, 2006 Are hormone-related chemicals different in women with mood disorders during the menstrual cycle? Women with bipolar disorder and major depression had higher levels of progesterone and a related chemical (3alpha,5alpha-THPROG) during the luteal phase compared to healthy women. This difference was present whether or not they were taking medication. Survey study, 2006 What menstrual problems do adolescent girls experience? Most adolescent girls in Malaysia experience premenstrual syndrome (74.6 percent) or painful periods (69.4 percent). More than one-third have irregular cycle lengths, but few seek medical care. Lab study, 2006 Do mood swings happen the same way in people taking birth control pills compared to people not taking them? In young healthy women, mood worsened before menstruation and improved around ovulation regardless of birth control pill use. The mood patterns were the same in both groups. Study, 2006 Do women with depression during perimenopause also have premenstrual symptoms? Some do - about 21% of depressed perimenopausal women had premenstrual dysphoria compared to 3% of non-depressed women. However, not all depressed perimenopausal women have premenstrual symptoms. Randomised trial, 2005 Which birth control pill reduces PMS symptoms better: drospirenone or levonorgestrel? Drospirenone-containing pills reduced PMS symptoms more effectively than levonorgestrel pills after six cycles, especially mood symptoms and water retention. Study, 2005 Can women recognize fear in faces better at certain times of their menstrual cycle? Yes. Women recognized fear expressions significantly better during the preovulatory phase when estrogen is highest, compared to during menstruation when estrogen is lowest. This pattern was not as strong for other emotions. Cohort study, 2005 How do work stress and hormones affect mood during the menstrual cycle? Both menstrual cycle phase and stress hormones (norepinephrine, epinephrine, cortisol) affect mood. High stress hormone levels linked to more stress and tiredness and less happiness. The menstrual cycle phase also mattered but effects depended on stress hormone levels. Study, 2005 Do women with depression experience worsening of symptoms before their period? Yes. 64% of women with depression reported worsening of symptoms in the 5 to 10 days before their period. This worsening appears linked to longer-lasting depression. Cohort study, 2005 Do women with PMDD have depression symptoms outside the luteal phase? Yes. Even women with minor or moderate depression symptoms when not premenstrual were about 1.9 times more likely to have PMDD, suggesting PMDD is a variant of depression that becomes worse premenstrually rather than appearing only premenstrually. Case-control study, 2005 Do women with depression have different growth hormone patterns than healthy women across the menstrual cycle? There was no difference in average growth hormone levels between depressed and healthy women. However, growth hormone levels were higher during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle in both groups. Case-control study, 2004 Do menstrual characteristics and pregnancy history predict depression risk? Yes, earlier age at first period, heavier periods, and irregular periods in early menstruation predicted higher depression risk. Women with multiple miscarriages or abortions had 2-3 times higher depression risk. Randomised trial, 2004 Does the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle affect mood and brain function? Yes. In the luteal phase, women showed slower word-finding, lower mood scores, and changes in stress hormone levels, though reaction times were faster. Non-randomised trial, 2004 Are reproductive hormones abnormal in chronic fatigue syndrome? Reproductive hormones FSH, LH, estradiol, and progesterone were normal in women with chronic fatigue syndrome. However, cortisol (the stress hormone) was significantly lower than in healthy women. Case-control study, 2004 Does the menstrual cycle affect pain and mood in women with fibromyalgia? Women with fibromyalgia had more pain and negative emotions than other women. All women felt less positive emotions in the second half of the cycle, more so in those with fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia pain itself did not change across the cycle. Cohort study, 2004 Do women with bipolar disorder on mood-stabilizing medication experience premenstrual symptom worsening? No, women with bipolar disorder on mood-stabilizing treatment (lithium or valproate) experienced significantly less premenstrual symptom worsening than healthy women, suggesting the medication may protect against it. Study, 2004 How do work and time off affect women's moods during different phases of their menstrual cycle? Work days made women feel more anxious, stressed, and tired compared to days off. Menstrual cycle phase also affected mood, but the effect depended on whether it was a work or off day and on the woman's personality traits. Survey study, 2004 How often does depression get worse before a woman's period? Depressed women had 1.34 more symptoms that got worse before their period compared to other times. Older women were more likely to experience worsening symptoms. Survey study, 2004 Does sleep quality change at different times of the menstrual cycle? Yes, sleep quality feels worse during the 3 days before your period and the 4 days of menstruation. However, the total amount of sleep and how long it takes to fall asleep do not change across the cycle. Study, 2003 Does cognitive behavioral therapy help premenstrual symptoms as well as medication? Possibly. Growing evidence suggests cognitive behavioral therapy may work as well as medication for premenstrual symptoms and is a good option for women who prefer not to take medicine. Cohort study, 2003 Does depression affect when women enter menopause? Women with a history of depression may enter menopause earlier than others. Those with more severe depression who also took antidepressants had nearly 3 times the risk of early menopause, though this is based on observation rather than a controlled test. Study, 2003 Does the stress response system work differently in women with PMS across the menstrual cycle? Women with PMS failed to show the normal increased stress hormone response during the luteal phase that women without PMS show. Progesterone, not estrogen, appears to control this stress response. Study, 2003 Can a specific birth control pill help with PMS symptoms? Yes. In this study, 80% of women taking a pill containing drospirenone and ethinylestradiol reported improvement, and 75% said they were satisfied with the treatment. Cohort study, 2003 Does Yasmin birth control reduce premenstrual symptoms? Yes. Women taking Yasmin showed significant improvements in premenstrual symptoms and quality of life. Review, 2003 Do GABA receptors and progesterone affect PMDD? The review suggests they may be important based on animal studies, but does not provide specific conclusions about their role in PMDD in humans. Cohort study, 2003 Do birth control pills change how women experience premenstrual and menstrual symptoms? Birth control pills do not eliminate the cyclical pattern of premenstrual and menstrual symptoms that healthy women naturally experience. Different pill types produce similar patterns, though pill users reported less fatigue than non-users. Review, 2003 What is PMDD and what treats it? PMDD is a severe form of PMS affecting 3-8% of women of reproductive age. It is marked by depression, anxiety, emotional instability, and reduced activity during the luteal phase. SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are the most effective treatment. Review, 2003 What treatments work best for PMS and PMDD? There is no single best treatment. For mild PMS, lifestyle changes help. For moderate symptoms, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like fluoxetine and sertraline are most effective. Calcium and evening primrose oil may offer modest benefit. Case-control study, 2003 Do IBS symptoms change across the menstrual cycle and vary by contraceptive use? Women with IBS have higher symptom severity than controls, and symptoms vary by menstrual cycle phase and bowel pattern type. Oral contraceptive use did not significantly change most IBS symptoms. Non-randomised trial, 2002 Does birth control containing drospirenone reduce premenstrual symptoms? In this study, birth control containing drospirenone (3 mg) reduced mood-related symptoms and water retention by the sixth cycle. Without a control group, we cannot be certain these improvements were caused by the pill rather than placebo effect. Review, 2002 What treatments work for PMDD? PMDD affects 2 to 10 percent of women of reproductive age. Try lifestyle changes first, and if that does not work, SSRIs taken just during the luteal phase are very effective with minimal side effects. Randomised trial, 2002 Does the birth control pill Yasmin help women with PMDD? Yes, women taking Yasmin had greater reduction in premenstrual symptoms compared to placebo, with statistically significant improvements in appetite, acne, and food craving. Study, 2002 Does memory performance change at different times during the menstrual cycle? Some types of memory and thinking skills changed across the menstrual cycle, particularly during the high-hormone phase, though the pattern varied by task type. Estrogen appears responsible for these changes, not progesterone. Non-randomised trial, 2002 Does fluoxetine help PMDD symptoms? Yes, fluoxetine reduces emotional and physical PMDD symptoms and was the first SSRI antidepressant approved by the FDA for PMDD. It is generally well-tolerated. Survey study, 2002 What treatments work for depression linked to the menstrual cycle and PMDD? Serotonin-boosting antidepressants (SSRIs) are the first-line treatment for severe PMS and PMDD and consistently work. Progesterone does not work for mood symptoms, despite being widely prescribed. Non-randomised trial, 2001 Does a new birth control pill reduce PMS symptoms? Yes. In 322 women, after 6 cycles of this pill, negative mood and water retention during the premenstrual phase dropped significantly. However, this study had no control group, so we cannot be certain the pill itself caused the improvement rather than a placebo effect. Survey study, 2001 Do women with PMS show personality changes during their menstrual cycle? Yes. Women with PMS showed significantly increased personality disorder traits during the luteal phase (before menstruation) compared to the follicular phase. This pattern did not happen in women without PMS. Randomised trial, 2001 How do serotonin medications help severe premenstrual dysphoria? Serotonin reuptake inhibitors are very effective (60% or higher response rate) for severe premenstrual dysphoria, likely by affecting how the brain controls aggression and irritability rather than through an antidepressant effect. Review, 2001 Do serotonin reuptake inhibitors help premenstrual dysphoria? Yes, very effectively. These medications work rapidly and are more effective than non-serotonergic antidepressants. Randomised trial, 2000 Does magnesium and vitamin B6 together help with anxiety-related premenstrual symptoms? A combination of 200 mg magnesium plus 50 mg vitamin B6 daily showed a small benefit for anxiety-related symptoms like nervousness and mood swings. Individual supplements alone did not work. Review, 2000 Do common diseases get worse before a woman's period? Yes. A significant number of women with asthma, arthritis, migraine, diabetes, depression, or epilepsy report that their symptoms get worse before their period, though doctors do not yet fully understand why. Survey study, 2000 How do mood and physical symptoms change during your menstrual cycle? Physical symptoms get worse right before and during your period. Birth control pills significantly reduced negative moods. Mood and physical symptoms are separate things that affect each other. Cohort study, 2000 Does the menstrual cycle affect how well someone breathes? No, in this study of healthy women without asthma, the menstrual cycle had little effect on lung function. Breathing varied randomly throughout the cycle and was not related to premenstrual symptoms. Interview study, 2000 Are depression and personality disorders linked to PMDD? Yes. Women with depression are about 9 times more likely to have PMDD, and avoidant personality disorder is also linked to PMDD (mainly in women over 30). However, the study cannot show whether depression causes PMDD, PMDD causes depression, or if both are caused by something else. Case-control study, 2000 Do women with panic disorder have different menstrual cycle patterns in anxiety and stress response? Yes. Women with panic disorder showed stronger physical stress responses during the premenstrual phase and higher anxiety-related symptoms overall compared to controls. Cohort study, 2000 Does progesterone affect REM sleep and mood? Yes. During the menstrual cycle, women with high progesterone had more REM sleep and better mood. After birth, when progesterone drops, sleep patterns change but mood seems related more to overall sleep disruption than to progesterone changes alone. Randomised trial, 2000 Does how much women smoke change at different times of their menstrual cycle? Yes. Women smoked more cigarettes during the late luteal phase (days before menstruation), but mood and withdrawal symptoms were similar across cycle phases. Study, 2000 Is it easier to quit smoking at a particular time in the menstrual cycle? Yes. Women who quit smoking during the first 14 days of their cycle experienced fewer withdrawal symptoms and less depression compared to women who quit later in their cycle. Randomised trial, 1999 Does bright light therapy help PMDD symptoms like depression and tension? Yes, 30 minutes of bright white light each evening during the luteal phase significantly reduced depression and premenstrual tension, while dim red light did not. Randomised trial, 1999 Does L-tryptophan help premenstrual dysphoria? L-tryptophan reduced premenstrual mood symptoms (dysphoria, mood swings, tension, irritability) by 34.5% compared to 10.4% with placebo. Randomised trial, 1999 Does menstrual cycle phase affect how women respond to triazolam? No. The effects of triazolam on mood and performance were stable across all three phases of the menstrual cycle. Randomised trial, 1999 Is taking sertraline just during the premenstrual phase as effective as taking it year-round for severe PMS? Half-cycle dosing worked about as well as full-cycle dosing for overall symptoms. However, some mood symptoms like nervous tension and feeling out of control improved more with half-cycle dosing. Review, 1999 Is premenstrual dysphoric disorder a distinct clinical disorder? Yes, according to expert consensus. PMDD has distinct characteristics, clear symptoms linked to the menstrual cycle, and responds differently to treatment than other mood disorders. Cohort study, 1999 How common are depression symptoms in women in their late 30s and early 40s, and what predicts them? About 22% of women aged 36-44 showed depression symptoms. Marital status, smoking, and having children predicted depression risk more than menstrual cycle changes alone. Survey study, 1999 How much do premenstrual symptoms affect women's work and daily life? Premenstrual symptoms significantly affect daily life and work. About 80% of women report irritability, fatigue, and bloating. Over half of working women report some impact on work. Nearly three-quarters have never sought treatment, even though effective medicines exist. Randomised trial, 1999 Does menstrual cycle phase affect smoking withdrawal symptoms? Withdrawal symptoms from smoking were not significantly different depending on menstrual cycle phase. However, the urge to smoke did increase in the late luteal phase, suggesting women may find quitting harder at that time. Review, 1998 How does the menstrual cycle affect other medical conditions? Many medical conditions worsen at specific points in the menstrual cycle because of sudden changes in hormone levels. This includes migraines, epilepsy, asthma, arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, and diabetes. Survey study, 1998 How common is PMS and what treatments do women use? 41% of US women said they had PMS, and an additional 17% experienced PMS symptoms without labeling them as PMS. Of those with symptoms, 42% used medication, mostly over-the-counter drugs; most who tried complementary therapy like exercise found it helpful. Randomised trial, 1998 Does alprazolam improve mood and task performance in women with PMDD? No. Alprazolam did not improve premenstrual mood and actually worsened mood in the follicular phase. It also impaired task performance. Study, 1998 Do different age groups of women view the menstrual cycle as a cause of mood changes differently? Yes. Younger women under 18 were significantly more likely than older women to say that positive moods during the premenstrual phase were caused by the menstrual cycle. Randomised trial, 1997 Does fluoxetine help premenstrual syndrome? Yes, fluoxetine 20 mg daily was significantly better than placebo at relieving PMS symptoms. It did have some side effects: stomach problems, sleep problems, and sexual dysfunction in smaller numbers of women. Study, 1997 Does the time of the menstrual cycle affect how women answer questions about mood? No. Women's answers about mood symptoms are just as reliable and consistent regardless of where they are in their menstrual cycle. All women scored higher than men overall, but cycle phase didn't change this. Randomised trial, 1997 Does sertraline taken only during the luteal phase work as well as taking it all month? In women who responded to sertraline taken all month, taking it only during the luteal phase worked as well for improving depression and other PMDD symptoms. The evidence is moderate but limited because only 15 women were studied and some dropped out of the placebo phase. Case-control study, 1997 Do women with PMS perceive and handle stress differently at different times of their cycle? Yes. Women with PMS perceive more stressors and find them more stressful during the premenstrual phase than women without PMS. They also cope with stress differently during this phase. Survey study, 1997 Do women with PMDD have worse symptoms in certain seasons? Yes, clearly. Women with PMDD have much stronger seasonal patterns in their mood and symptoms than women without PMDD, with 25% to 30% reporting that seasonal worsening is a marked or severe problem. Cohort study, 1996 Does premenstrual syndrome affect how well women think and remember? The study found no clear differences in thinking, memory, or attention between women with PMS and those without, though women with PMS felt more depressed. Study, 1996 Can probiotics and an antidepressant reduce severe PMS symptoms? Yes. Women treated with probiotics and the antidepressant SAMe had their symptoms reduce from severe to mild. However, the improvement didn't last long after they stopped the supplements. Study, 1996 Do women with PMDD have different levels of a brain chemical linked to depression? Yes, women with PMDD have lower levels of GABA, a brain chemical, especially during their luteal phase. Those with a history of depression have low GABA in both cycle phases. Lab study, 1996 Are women more emotionally reactive during their premenstrual phase? Yes. Women are more emotionally reactive to anger-provoking situations during their premenstrual phase, especially if they have premenstrual symptoms. Study, 1995 When during the menstrual cycle do women with PMS feel their best? Around day 11 of their cycle, during the natural estrogen surge before ovulation. Women with PMS show clear peaks at this time, while women without PMS don't show this pattern. Survey study, 1995 Does depression, stress, or unhappy relationships cause food cravings during the menstrual cycle? Depression is very strongly linked to food cravings in all cycle phases. Stress and relationship unhappiness have little or no effect once depression is accounted for. Food cravings without depression still show a cycle pattern, peaking premenstrually. Study, 1995 What causes PMS and how can doctors treat it? PMS develops when hormone changes interact with brain chemistry, especially involving serotonin. Medications that work on these systems have been shown to help in rigorous studies. Study, 1995 Does exercise reduce how much stress affects women before their period? It is unclear. Exercise reduced how much heart rate increased in response to stress, but mood changes in response to stress were actually greater in exercising women. The menstrual cycle did not affect how much stress changed performance. Study, 1995 Do women who exercise have fewer PMS symptoms? Yes. Women who exercise regularly experience better mood and fewer symptoms before and during their period compared to sedentary women. However, competitive athletes did not show this benefit. Randomised trial, 1995 Does a special carbohydrate drink help mood and thinking problems in PMS? Yes, the carbohydrate beverage significantly reduced depression, anger, confusion, and food cravings 90 to 180 minutes after drinking it, and improved memory performance. Interview study, 1995 What is the difference in menstrual cycle symptoms between women with and without premenstrual symptoms? Both groups experienced more physical symptoms in the days before their period, but only women with premenstrual symptoms experienced increased mood symptoms during that time. Women with premenstrual symptoms had higher scores for both mood and physical symptoms overall. Review, 1995 What causes premenstrual problems and how should we think about them? Premenstrual problems result from three factors: menstruation itself, hormonal changes affecting brain chemistry (particularly serotonin), and individual vulnerability characteristics. This shifts away from calling all these problems PMS. Randomised trial, 1995 Is paroxetine better than other antidepressants for treating severe PMS? Yes. Paroxetine reduced symptoms much more than placebo. It also worked better than maprotiline for most symptoms. Randomised trial, 1994 Does alprazolam help women with late luteal phase dysphoric disorder? Yes, but only for women whose symptoms happen only in the luteal phase. It reduced tension, irritability, and anxiety in that group but not in women who also had anxiety or depression at other times of the month. Study, 1994 Do women with PMS cope with stress differently than other women? Women with PMS who have higher depression scores tend to use avoidant coping (avoiding stressful situations rather than dealing with them). This pattern is consistent throughout their menstrual cycle, not just during the premenstrual phase. Review, 1994 Which hormones change across the menstrual cycle? Body temperature and adrenaline-related chemicals change predictably. Prolactin and serotonin may change around ovulation. Thyroid hormones and cortisol appear stable. Randomised trial, 1994 Does depot leuprolide relieve premenstrual syndrome, and does depression affect how well it works? Depot leuprolide was significantly more effective than placebo for women without severe depression. For those with moderate depression it helped somewhat, but for those with severe depression it did not work at all. Study, 1994 Do women's heart and cardiovascular responses to stress change during the menstrual cycle? Yes. Women's heart rate responses to stress were consistently stronger than men's during both cycle phases, and some heart responses in women changed between follicular and luteal phases. Case-control study, 1994 Does the menstrual cycle affect blood sugar control in women with diabetes? As a group, women with diabetes showed no major changes in blood sugar or food intake during the menstrual cycle. However, women with poor mood before their period had more low blood sugar episodes. Study, 1994 Do your mood and physical symptoms stay the same from one menstrual cycle to the next? Your physical symptoms tend to be more stable across cycles than your emotions do. This suggests your premenstrual experience can be quite different from month to month. Randomised trial, 1994 How does light therapy affect hormone levels in women with PMDD? Light therapy shifted hormone timing in women with PMDD in different ways depending on the time of day. Women with PMDD had naturally higher prolactin levels throughout their cycle compared to women without PMDD. Randomised trial, 1994 Does stopping ovulation help severe premenstrual tension? Yes, a drug that stops ovulation (goserelin) reduced breast discomfort and swelling significantly. It also reduced mood swings, though the effect on mood was weaker and had a strong placebo component. Review, 1994 How should premenstrual syndrome be managed? There is no cure, but most women improve significantly when they work actively with their doctor to develop an individualized plan combining medicine, nutrition, and psychological support suited to their specific symptoms. Case-control study, 1994 Do women with PMS respond to stress differently than other women? Yes. Women with premenstrual dysphoria rate daily stressors as more stressful and seek social support more often than other women, especially before their period. Randomised trial, 1993 Does clomipramine taken only during the luteal phase help premenstrual syndrome symptoms? Yes, clomipramine during the luteal phase significantly reduced irritability and depression compared to placebo. The effect was notably larger than placebo, though the study was small. Randomised trial, 1993 Does the point in your menstrual cycle change your mood, or change how alcohol affects your mood? No. This study found no evidence that mood or alcohol's effects on mood differed across menstrual cycle phases, suggesting cycle-linked mood swings may be more about expectations than biology, at least in this drinking context. Study, 1993 Are the symptoms of PMS different from heavy periods and severe period pain? No. Women with PMS, heavy periods, and severe period pain have many overlapping symptoms. Depression is the main symptom that makes women seek help for PMS, and it is linked to cycle timing, personality, and bleeding severity. Review, 1993 What are the medication options for treating PMS? PMS can be treated with hormonal medications that alter the menstrual cycle, mood drugs, diuretics for fluid retention, and pain relievers for headaches. Treatment should start with simpler measures and consider side effects. Cohort study, 1993 Do premenstrual changes run in families? In this study of 80 pairs of sisters, premenstrual changes did not cluster within families based on either daily tracking or retrospective reports. This contradicts some earlier research. Cohort study, 1993 When are new mothers most likely to get depression - right after birth or later? Depression peaked at 10 weeks after birth, not immediately afterward. PMS before pregnancy was only linked to postpartum depression once women's periods restarted. Study, 1993 Do birth control pills change PMS symptoms? Birth control pills reduced menstrual pain and breast tenderness. However, they didn't clearly help with food cravings or clumsiness, and may have actually made negative mood less likely to improve during menstruation. Randomised trial, 1993 Does oral contraceptive help PMS and affect sexual interest? The oral contraceptive improved mood during the premenstrual phase but decreased sexual interest during the menstrual and postmenstrual phases. The mood improvement was not the cause of the decreased sexual interest. Study, 1992 What is the psychological profile of women who experience premenstrual dysphoria? Women with premenstrual dysphoria tend to have higher anxiety and mood problems before their period, and many have a history of mood disorders or feel they have little control over their lives. Randomised trial, 1992 Does clomipramine help premenstrual irritability and dysphoria? Yes. Clomipramine reduced symptoms by more than 80 percent compared to about 40 percent with placebo, with a response rate close to 100 percent. Lab study, 1992 Do our expectations about when we are in our menstrual cycle affect what symptoms we report? Yes. Women told they were premenstrual reported more symptoms than women told they were intermenstrual. However, women with a history of reporting many premenstrual symptoms still reported more symptoms during their actual premenstrual phase, regardless of what they were told. Randomised trial, 1992 Do different types of birth control pills work differently for PMS? All three pills helped PMS symptoms compared to before treatment. The desogestrel pill caused less mood swings, while the triphasic pill caused fewer physical complaints. Case-control study, 1992 Does PMS affect learning and memory? Yes. Women with PMS have significant difficulty learning new material, and this problem persists throughout their menstrual cycle regardless of mood. Study, 1992 How do sex hormones affect memory during the menstrual cycle? Some types of memory change across the menstrual cycle, related to hormone levels. Visual memory is lower during the menstrual phase, particularly in about half of women. Other types of memory show less change. Randomised trial, 1991 Does knowing you are studied about your cycle change what you report? Women who knew they were being studied reported normal premenstrual and menstrual experiences similar to men, while women who did not know reported slightly lower well-being than men during the premenstrual phase. The study was small. Study, 1991 Do women with PMS have higher body temperature? Yes. Women with PMS had significantly higher nighttime body temperature compared to women without PMS across the entire menstrual cycle. Study, 1991 Does exposure to DES before birth affect period symptoms in adult women? Mostly no. Women exposed to DES in the womb reported similar period symptoms to unexposed women. The only possible difference was slightly more water retention symptoms in the exposed group. Randomised trial, 1991 Does calcium help PMS symptoms? Yes. Calcium reduced negative mood, water retention, and pain during the week before your period, and reduced pain during your period. Study, 1990 Does a woman's alcohol consumption change during her menstrual cycle when she has premenstrual symptoms? No. While physical distress increased during the premenstrual and menstrual phases, alcohol consumption did not change with the cycle. Social factors such as spending time with others and the day of the week influenced drinking instead. Review, 1990 How do hormones affect brain chemicals that control mood? Sex hormones change how the brain's serotonin system works across the menstrual cycle. Stopping ovulation with danazol eliminated premenstrual mood changes in studied women, showing a hormone-mood connection. Cohort study, 1990 Do normal women actually experience worse mood before their period? When women tracked their mood daily, they did not show a pattern of worsening before their period. But when asked to remember back, most reported experiencing premenstrual mood problems. This suggests memory bias rather than real mood changes. Survey study, 1990 Does stress make PMS symptoms worse? No. Stress accounted for only 6 to 10 percent of symptom changes. Individual women showed no link between how stressed they felt and how severe their PMS was. Study, 1989 Can premenstrual mood changes be reliably measured and how common are they? A mathematical method was developed that reliably detected premenstrual mood changes. About 7 out of 10 menstrual cycles from women with PMS showed clear premenstrual mood worsening, compared to just 1 out of 12 cycles from women without PMS. Study, 1989 What's the best way to measure premenstrual tension using mood diaries? Six of seven tested methods gave similar results. Methods using bipolar mood scales (with both positive and negative options) and based on known symptom patterns worked best, though some complex cases showed discrepancies of 9-23%. Survey study, 1989 What kinds of PMS symptoms tend to occur together? PMS symptoms cluster into two groups: mood and behavior symptoms (which are most common) and physical and thinking symptoms (which are less common). These groups stay the same throughout the entire menstrual cycle. Survey study, 1989 Is depression that occurs premenstrually different from clinical depression? Yes. Women with PMS experience depressive mood changes premenstrually, but their depression scores are about a third lower than women with clinical depression, and their hormone patterns are also different, showing these are distinct conditions. Survey study, 1989 Do anxiety, anger, and depression increase before a woman's period? Yes, clearly. Women with PMS had clear increases in anxiety, anger, and depression at different parts of their cycle. Those with the most obvious PMS had the strongest increases. Cohort study, 1989 Does the menstrual cycle affect depression test scores? Yes. Women scored higher on depression tests premenstrually than postmenstrually, and more women met the threshold for depression before their period. However, this may reflect how the test itself changes with the cycle, not actual changes in depression. Case-control study, 1989 Do mood swings only happen to women with PMS, or do other women get them too? Both groups had mood swings, but in women with PMS the low mood clustered tightly in the premenstrual days, while in women without PMS mood changes popped up at random times across the cycle, not just before periods. Cohort study, 1989 Does anxiety from panic disorder get worse before a woman's period? No. Women with panic disorder did not have more anxiety before their period, unlike women with PMS. This suggests panic disorder is not affected by the menstrual cycle. Survey study, 1989 When during the menstrual cycle do mood symptoms get worse for women with cyclical mood changes? Women with cyclical mood changes showed that symptoms started and peaked during the luteal (late) phase of the menstrual cycle. The specific pattern of symptom changes across the cycle may differ depending on how severe each woman's mood cycling is. Survey study, 1989 Does PMS get worse with higher hormone levels? Yes, women with PMS have worse symptoms in months when their estradiol and progesterone levels are high. This contradicts the theory that PMS is caused by low progesterone. Cohort study, 1989 How much do PMS symptoms actually change with the menstrual cycle? Physical symptoms like breast pain change reliably with the cycle, but emotional symptoms don't follow this pattern in most women. Only about one-third had emotional symptoms that mostly disappeared after their period. Study, 1989 Should researchers combine different moods or track them separately when studying PMS? Individual moods rise and fall together in women with PMS, so combining them into one score is a good way to track premenstrual mood changes. Survey study, 1988 Do women crave sweets before their period, and is it linked to mood changes? Yes, food cravings around the period are real and cyclical in most women. However, they are not linked to mood changes or mood severity. Review, 1988 How do reproductive hormones affect mood across a woman's life? This review examines mood and behavioral changes linked to hormone shifts during the menstrual cycle, birth control use, pregnancy, postpartum period, and perimenopause. It recommends better ways to measure and report symptoms. Study, 1988 When do PMS symptoms happen during the menstrual cycle? Most PMS symptoms (mood, bloating, constipation, food craving, breast discomfort) occur mainly in the 10 days before the period starts. Headaches happen differently, distributed roughly equally before and after the period starts. Lab study, 1987 Can what women expect about PMS actually cause mood changes during their cycle? Yes. When women were led to expect that their mood would worsen before their period, their daily moods actually did get worse during the cycle. When expectations were changed to be more positive, mood changes were less severe. Cohort study, 1987 Do women crave different foods at different points in their menstrual cycle? Women craved more chocolate during menstrual flow than at other times. Cravings for sugary, starchy, or lower-carb foods did not vary significantly by cycle phase. Randomised trial, 1987 Does vitamin B6 help premenstrual tension symptoms? No. Vitamin B6 did not significantly improve PMS symptoms in this small study, even though it increased a blood marker of serotonin activity. Randomised trial, 1987 Does progesterone suppository help premenstrual syndrome? No, progesterone vaginal suppositories (200 mg) did not reduce PMS symptoms more than placebo. This was a small study of 30 women. Randomised trial, 1987 Does vitamin B6 help premenstrual symptoms? Vitamin B6 may help some premenstrual symptoms like dizziness and vomiting, but does not help physical symptoms or mood as much. However, there are concerns about taking these doses. Study, 1986 What are the different patterns of symptoms before menstruation? The study found five different patterns of premenstrual symptom changes among women. These patterns relate differently to whether women have a history of mood disorders. Cohort study, 1986 What are the characteristic mood patterns that distinguish women with and without PMS? The study identified characteristic mood patterns in women with and without menstrually-related mood syndrome. The abstract confirms these patterns differ between groups but does not specify what they are. Study, 1985 Do stress responses and mood change across the menstrual cycle? Yes. Women's stress response is strongest in the second half of the cycle. Negative mood is more common in the second half and during menstruation. Cohort study, 1985 Do mood and physical symptoms really change across the menstrual cycle, and does anxiety make this worse? Yes, women reported more symptoms before and during their period and fewer in the days after, though the exact pattern differed a lot between women. Anxious women reported more symptoms overall, but anxiety did not explain the cyclical ups and downs themselves. Case-control study, 1984 Do women with breast pain during their menstrual cycle have higher prolactin levels? No, the study found no difference in prolactin levels between women with breast pain and healthy women, so high prolactin does not appear to cause this symptom. Study, 1984 Do women with PMS actually gain weight or bloat, or is it just how they feel? Women with PMS report feeling bloated during the premenstrual phase, but actual body weight and body measurements do not increase. The sensation appears to be a change in how women perceive their bodies, not an actual physical change. Cohort study, 1984 Can a visual analogue scale reliably measure mood changes related to the menstrual cycle? Yes, a twice-daily visual scale successfully tracked mood changes related to menstruation. In 20 women with self-diagnosed PMS, 40% showed depression ratings 30% higher before menstruation versus after. Study, 1983 Does menstrual cycle affect how much alcohol women drink? For women not on birth control, yes. They reported more negative moods before their period and drank alcohol more often to help with stress and sadness, particularly drinking alone. Women on birth control pills did not show this pattern. Study, 1983 Why do moods change during the menstrual cycle in women with PMS? Negative moods start after ovulation and peak in the last 5 days before menstruation, then improve within one or two days of menstruation. However, hormone levels don't differ between women with big mood changes and those with small changes. Study, 1976 Do mood and body changes happen at the same time in the menstrual cycle? Women experience more pain and water retention during their period and just before it, but their mood problems and stress responses are more strongly tied to what's happening in their lives than to their cycle. Men have more stable emotions and less pain throughout. Study, 1970 Does oral contraceptive use affect depression related to the menstrual cycle? Yes. In women not using contraceptives, depression varied with the menstrual cycle day. In women using oral contraceptives, this pattern was much weaker. Also, 6.6 percent of women on one type of contraceptive were more severely depressed than any woman in the control group. Review, 2026 Can Ayurvedic medicine explain and help treat PMS? PMS can be understood through Ayurvedic principles, though classical texts do not describe it as a distinct disease. Ayurvedic management approaches may help. Survey study, 2026 Can a yoga program designed for different cycle phases reduce PMS symptoms? Yes. In an 8-week study, 15 women with PMS who did cycle-specific yoga five times per week showed significant decreases in PMS symptoms and improved quality of life, with no adverse effects. Case report, 2026 Does a personalized homeopathic remedy help treat PMS? In this one 21-year-old woman, yes - a remedy chosen based on her personality type and symptoms led to significant improvement. But this is one person's story, so we can't be sure it would work for others. Review, 2026 How do contemporary medical and Ayurvedic approaches to PMS differ? This abstract provides only an introduction to the topic and does not present findings or conclusions about how the approaches differ. Non-randomised trial, 2026 Does Brahmighrita (an Ayurvedic herb mixture) help PMS? This abstract does not report any study results. It explains the theory behind why Brahmighrita should help PMS based on Ayurvedic medicine principles, but does not provide findings on whether it actually does. Survey study, 2026 How common is PMS among college-going girls in India? More than half had some PMS symptoms. 27.5% had severe PMS and 3.5% had very severe PMS. Cohort study, 2026 Is there a link between excessive anxiety and mood changes during the menstrual cycle? Among female medical students during COVID, those who had a tendency to focus excessively on small details had more depression, sleep problems, and some perceived menstrual changes. However, this was just an observation, not proof of cause and effect. Interview study, 2026 Does acceptance and commitment therapy help people with anxiety and PMDD? One woman showed meaningful improvement in anxiety and psychological flexibility after 37 therapy sessions, and no longer met criteria for PMDD, though some period-related symptoms remained. This is just one person's experience. Survey study, 2026 Does the menstrual cycle affect how well female athletes perform? Yes. Athletic performance is best after menstruation and after ovulation, with sprint times improving by 7.5% and jump height improving by 5.1% in these phases. Performance drops during the premenstrual phase, with acceleration slowing by 2.3%. Survey study, 2026 Why do some women's moods react strongly to hormone changes across the cycle while others don't? This review explains that 'hormone sensitivity' is not one single thing but many, and that while most women are not strongly affected by hormone swings, some are much more sensitive, especially those with existing mood disorders; the exact reasons are still being studied. Non-randomised trial, 2026 Do women experience more aggression and impulsiveness before their period? Yes. A study of 40 young women found aggression and impulsiveness were significantly higher during the 7 days before menstruation compared to the 7 days after. Review, 2026 Can yoga and mind-based meditation help with PMS? Yoga and Mind Sound Resonance Technique show promise as non-drug treatments for PMS. They appear to work by reducing stress hormones and improving emotional control. Survey study, 2026 Does your menstrual cycle stop you from starting a meditation practice? No. Women who used a meditation app for 8 weeks showed their menstrual cycle did not clearly affect how long they meditated. Those who meditated longer reported fewer premenstrual symptoms. Survey study, 2026 Why is understanding PMS awareness in teenage girls important? PMS is under-recognized in adolescents and many teenage girls have knowledge gaps about it. Better awareness and education could help young women recognize and manage symptoms earlier. Non-randomised trial, 2026 Does homeopathic medicine help premenstrual syndrome? In this study of 40 women, homeopathic treatment significantly reduced symptom severity. Because there was no control group, we cannot be sure the improvement came from the medicine rather than from attention, time, or expectation. Survey study, 2026 Is anxiety linked to irregular menstrual cycles in teenage girls? Yes. Among 65 high school students in Indonesia, those with higher anxiety levels were significantly more likely to have irregular menstrual cycles. The relationship was strong and statistically significant. Survey study, 2026 Does PMS affect what women eat and their feelings about food? Yes. Women with PMS ate significantly more packaged processed foods and fast food during their period, and also had stronger emotional responses to food. Regular breakfast was less common in the PMS group. Survey study, 2026 Could hormonal changes and immune problems explain menstrual issues in autistic women? This paper proposes that autistic women may experience severe menstrual and reproductive health problems because their immune cells react strongly to hormonal changes during menstruation and pregnancy. This proposed connection has not yet been tested. Cohort study, 2026 Does brain structure differ between women with PMDD and healthy controls? Cannot be answered. The provided abstract contains only background information and cuts off mid-sentence, with no results presented from this study. Survey study, 2026 Does ADHD change across the menstrual cycle in women taking stimulants? Yes, clearly. ADHD symptoms were most severe during menstruation and much milder in the mid-follicular phase. This difference was linked to mood changes. Survey study, 2026 Does controlling personality traits help emotional regulation in women with PMS? The study found that controlling neuroticism (a tendency toward negative emotions) was linked to emotional regulation differently in mild versus moderate PMS. The relationship was complex and depended on PMS severity. Survey study, 2026 Is low calcium linked to worse PMS symptoms? Low calcium was linked to worse PMS symptoms, but the connection was weak. The study was small and from one school, so we cannot be sure this applies to all girls. Survey study, 2026 Do emotional regulation and resilience change during the menstrual cycle in women with PMDD? Women with PMDD have much higher depression and anxiety than other women, especially before their period. Their ability to handle emotions and bounce back from stress is significantly lower during that time. Survey study, 2026 Is there a good way to measure menstrual symptoms in teenage girls? Yes. Researchers developed a 12-item scale to measure menstrual symptoms in teenage girls. When different people used it to rate responses, they showed very strong agreement. Systematic review, 2026 How are doctors and researchers diagnosing PMDD differently, and what factors are they using? PMDD is diagnosed inconsistently across research and clinical settings, with some methods relying on patient memory and others on daily tracking. This variation contributes to underdiagnosis and makes research findings harder to compare. Randomised trial, 2026 Does creatine supplementation help with exercise and mood during the menstrual cycle? The review suggests creatine may help reduce fatigue during the luteal phase and potentially improve mood during the premenstrual phase, but dedicated randomized controlled trials are still needed to confirm this. Non-randomised trial, 2026 Does saffron extract reduce premenstrual symptoms? Women who took saffron extract reported improvements in emotional and physical symptoms after 2 cycles, but the study had no control group so we cannot be certain the saffron caused these improvements. Study, 2026 Do menstrual tracking apps measure all the symptoms that matter? No. Menstrual tracking apps only captured about half of the common symptoms doctors and researchers know matter, and much less of the mood symptoms that affect women. Randomised trial, 2026 Does PMDD change how the body releases stress hormones during a panic trigger? No clear difference was found. Women with PMDD released the hormones arginine vasopressin and oxytocin in response to a panic-triggering injection in much the same way as women without PMDD, in both phases of the cycle. Interview study, 2026 What is life like for married women with PMS? Married women with PMS experience considerable distress and challenges in their relationships. Many report feeling neglected or misunderstood by their partners. Interview study, 2026 How does PMDD change how women feel about themselves in their relationships? This study interviewed 20 women with PMDD to understand how the condition affects their sense of self as partners, mothers, and friends. The abstract does not include what the researchers actually found. Interview study, 2026 How do eating behavior and mood change during the menstrual cycle in women using birth control? Women not using birth control showed more emotional and compulsive eating in the early cycle phase, while women using birth control pills showed less change. This is a small study of 84 university students. Systematic review, 2026 How do researchers currently measure mood changes in menstrual cycle studies? This review shows researchers measure mood in menstrual cycle studies in many different ways, with no standard approach. It identifies this inconsistency as a gap needing further research. Survey study, 2026 Does PMS affect how well young women sleep? This study set out to check whether premenstrual syndrome is linked to poorer sleep in women aged 18 to 25, but the text available here only describes the background and methods, not the actual results, so no clear answer can be given from what is provided. Survey study, 2026 Are there differences in brain activity and connectivity in women with PMDD? Yes, women with PMDD show increased activity in the brain's waste-clearing system (glymphatic system) and increased connections between the hypothalamus and multiple emotion-processing brain regions compared to women without PMDD. Case report, 2026 Does the homeopathic remedy Phosphorus help with PMS? In this one 35-year-old woman with recurring PMS headaches and other symptoms, yes - Phosphorus led to marked improvement in both mental and physical symptoms. But this is one person's story, so we can't be sure it would work for others. Case report, 2026 Does eating a special rice porridge diet help PMS symptoms? Yes, in one young woman. After eating rice porridge with milk and ghee during the first three days of her period for three cycles, her pain, mood symptoms, and digestive problems all improved. Systematic review, 2026 What do we know about PMDD in autistic people and those with ADHD? Very little research exists on PMDD specifically in autistic people and those with ADHD. Early evidence suggests they may experience more severe symptoms and face barriers to diagnosis, but we cannot yet say for certain. Cohort study, 2026 Does estradiol level affect mood and how we relate to others during the menstrual cycle? Yes. Higher estradiol in the late follicular phase improved mood and self-esteem, while lower estradiol in the early follicular phase increased irritability. This small study of 23 women provides initial evidence, but more research is needed. Survey study, 2026 What patterns of mood changes and food cravings occur during the menstrual cycle in college students? Nearly 60% reported food cravings during menstruation, with dairy products most common. Mood swings were most prominent in the premenstrual phase and linked to poor sleep quality. Study, 2026 Does menstrual cycle phase affect how the brain reacts to heading a ball in female footballers? Menstrual cycle phase does not change how the physical force of heading affects the brain, but the brain's thinking ability does change across the menstrual cycle. This was a small proof-of-concept study. Survey study, 2026 Can changing your diet help with period and PMS symptoms like fatigue, mood swings and bloating? This paper suggests certain foods may help, but it is not a real study on people, it is a write-up of general nutrition advice based on a newspaper health article, so it does not prove anything. Survey study, 2026 Is obesity linked to worse PMS symptoms and menstrual problems? Yes, obese women had much more PMS (113.83 vs. 62.5 severity score) and more depression and anxiety (97.5% vs. 47.5%). However, this small hospital study in Bangladesh can't tell us if weight loss would reduce PMS. Interview study, 2026 How do parents talk to their teenage daughters about starting their period? Parents experience emotional challenges discussing menstruation with their daughters. Cultural attitudes that treat menstruation as taboo shape these conversations, and gender roles affect how openly families discuss it. Survey study, 2026 How do hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle affect sleep? Hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle affect sleep quality. Women with PMS or PMDD often have poor sleep and daytime fatigue. During menopause, 40 to 60 out of 100 women have sleep problems due to falling estrogen and hot flashes. Non-randomised trial, 2026 Does peer counseling via social media improve adolescent girls' attitudes toward managing PMS? Yes, possibly. Girls with good attitudes toward PMS increased from 20% to 65% after social media-based peer counseling. However, this study had no control group, so we cannot be certain counseling caused the improvement. Survey study, 2026 What do female students believe causes PMS and what does it affect? Female students strongly believe that hormonal changes and genetic factors cause PMS, and that emotional distress is an effect. However, this measures what students think, not scientific proof. Survey study, 2026 Does a brain chemical relate to depression that worsens before periods in women with major depression? Yes, during the premenstrual phase. Women with worse depression had lower levels of GABA (a brain chemical) in a specific brain region, but only when tested just before their period. Study, 2026 How does PMDD affect women's work and careers? PMDD causes major challenges at work. Women struggle with concentration, relationships with coworkers, and confidence during the two weeks before their period. They may continue working but do not perform at their usual level, affecting long-term career development. Review, 2026 What should doctors know about PMDD across gynecology and psychiatry? PMDD is a serious mood disorder linked to the menstrual cycle that requires care from both gynecology and psychiatry specialists working together. Review, 2026 Can traditional Ayurvedic medicine help manage premenstrual symptoms? An Ayurvedic review suggests that dietary changes, herbal remedies like Ashoka and Shatavari, yoga, and meditation can help manage premenstrual symptoms by balancing the body's systems, though no clinical trial data is presented. Survey study, 2026 What premenstrual symptoms are most common, and what factors predict worse symptoms? Emotional and functional symptoms like mood swings and loss of interest were most common. Older age, lower family income, lower parental education, and starting periods at a younger age were linked to more severe symptoms. Study, 2026 What is premenstrual syndrome and how can it be treated? PMS is a common condition affecting women of reproductive age with mood, emotional, and physical symptoms. It can be managed with lifestyle changes, stress reduction, and medication. Survey study, 2026 How many teenage girls in Nepal have PMS and how does it affect them? Almost two-thirds of teenage girls in this school have PMS. It most strongly affects their friendships and school engagement, but less than 5% report low grades. Study, 2026 How can lifestyle changes help reduce premenstrual syndrome? Most women (75%) experience some premenstrual symptoms, but about 10% have severe symptoms. Exercise, diet changes, sleep, and stress reduction can help manage PMS. Study, 2026 How common is premenstrual syndrome in teenage girls? Premenstrual syndrome is very common in teenage girls. About 85.7% reported irritability, 60.7% had anger, 40.7% had headaches, and 8.5% had very severe symptoms. Survey study, 2026 Does PMS affect academic and social performance? Yes. Students with PMS reported difficulty concentrating (39.5%) and disruption of daily routines and relationships. Academic and social performance were notably better on non-PMS days. Study, 2026 Can a herbal formula made from Nirgundi, Ginger, and Spearmint be successfully created and evaluated? Yes. Researchers created an herbal formula using fermentation and confirmed it had the right physical and chemical properties and contained active ingredients beneficial for health. Survey study, 2026 What factors are linked to PMS in women aged 15-49? PMS was found in 68.4% of women. Younger age, sedentary lifestyle, junk food, high stress, irregular periods, and period pain were strongly linked to PMS. Lifestyle and stress play a major role. Survey study, 2026 How common is PMS and does diet affect symptom severity? The study examined these questions. Evidence discussed suggests poor diet high in sugar, salt, and fat may be linked to worse PMS, though the study's specific results are unclear from the text provided. Survey study, 2026 Does PMS affect work or family relationships differently? PMS affected 55.3% of women, mostly with moderate severity. It had greater impact on family relationships than on work. Work status was not linked to PMS severity. Survey study, 2026 How common is PMS in female undergraduate medical students? PMS was very common, affecting 73.6% of students. Abdominal pain and cramping were the most common symptoms, followed by mood swings and irritability. Weight was not linked to PMS in this group. Interview study, 2026 What causes PMS in teenage girls? Most potential causes studied were not linked to PMS in teenage girls. Only diet factors showed a link: caffeine and sugar consumption, and frequent junk food were significantly associated with PMS. Survey study, 2026 Is premenstrual syndrome more common in women with higher body weight? PMS was most common in normal weight women (33%) and overweight women (30%), not clearly linked to obesity (22%). The study cannot explain why. Study, 2026 Is Folliculinum 1M effective for treating PMS? The available information describes PMS as a condition often treated with hormonal therapy that can cause side effects, but does not provide study results. Survey study, 2026 Does self-injury or difficult childhood experiences increase PMDD risk in adolescents? Yes. This study found clear relationships between self-injurious behavior and PMDD, and between adverse childhood experiences and PMDD in adolescent girls, suggesting both are risk factors. Survey study, 2026 Do college students know that exercise helps PMS and do they actually exercise? Two-thirds of students knew that aerobic exercise can help PMS and 75% thought exercise was good. But only 34% actually exercised regularly, showing a big gap between knowing and doing. Survey study, 2026 Can watching a YouTube video teach teenage girls more about PMS? Yes, in this small study, a YouTube-based health talk clearly improved girls' knowledge about PMS, but it only measured knowledge, not whether symptoms improved. Randomised trial, 2026 What types and amounts of exercise help or harm PMS? Regular moderate aerobic exercise and yoga reduce PMS symptoms like pain, fatigue, anxiety, and low mood. However, very high-intensity training combined with insufficient food can worsen menstrual health. Survey study, 2026 Is there a link between PMS symptom severity and daily stress hormone levels? Women who reported worse PMS symptoms had lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels during the day. Cortisol patterns varied slightly across cycle phases, suggesting stress hormones may play a role in PMS, though this was a very small study. Survey study, 2026 Is there a link between how severe PMS is and mood swings? Yes. The worse the PMS, the worse the mood tends to be. There was a statistically significant but weak to moderate link between PMS severity and mood. Review, 2026 Can brain imaging help explain how hormones affect mood in PMDD? A review suggests that advanced PET brain imaging could reveal how neurotransmitters like serotonin and GABA interact with hormonal changes to cause PMDD symptoms. The approach is promising but not yet proven. Review, 2026 What causes PMDD and what treatments are available? PMDD seems to come from the body's abnormal response to hormone and brain-chemical shifts, shaped by genes, stress, immune function and opioid pathways. Several treatments exist, from SSRIs to surgery in severe cases, but this paper only summarises existing research, not a new trial. Cohort study, 2026 How do motivation and emotion control change across the menstrual cycle? This abstract describes a research study design but ends abruptly and provides no results, so no answer can be given. Interview study, 2026 What do women and their partners think about a PMS tracking app? Users appreciated features that help understand symptom patterns and context, and liked partner-sharing and AI suggestions. This shows what people want, but not whether the app improves health. Survey study, 2026 How do pre-menstrual symptoms affect the work and social life of young women? Pre-menstrual symptoms affect 51.3% of women aged 15-35 with mild-to-moderate PMS and 7.5% with PMDD, significantly disrupting work and social activities. The severity of symptoms directly predicts how much they interfere with daily life. Review, 2025 What are the most effective ways to manage mild premenstrual syndrome? Lifestyle changes including exercise, healthy eating, reducing caffeine and salt, and stress management can help. Some supplements like evening primrose oil and calcium may offer modest benefits. Survey study, 2025 How common are PMS and PMDD among female university students? About 10.37% had PMS and 19.26% had PMDD. Technical course students had higher rates than medical course students. Survey study, 2025 What diet and lifestyle habits increase PMS risk in college students? Eating cake, pastries, and pizza frequently, using contraceptive pills, and sleeping only 5-6 hours on weekdays were all linked to higher PMS risk. About half of the students had PMS. Cohort study, 2025 Do homoeopathic medicines help PMS symptoms? This abstract does not report study results. It only contains background information about PMS without any actual findings. Interview study, 2025 Does the menstrual cycle affect alcohol use and what should researchers study about this? Some people reported drinking less during their period and drinking to cope with premenstrual symptoms, though many weren't aware of these pattern changes. People need better education about their menstrual cycle and healthcare support. Study, 2025 Can mood activities and chocolate help with PMS emotional symptoms? In one case, an adolescent woman's emotional distress during PMS improved when she did mood-boosting activities and ate chocolate. Study, 2025 Does your personality type affect how much emotional PMS symptoms you have? Yes. Your temperament or personality type is a strong predictor of emotional PMS symptoms like irritability and mood swings. Survey study, 2025 Do PMS symptoms ease once your period starts, and does diet make them worse? Yes, many PMS symptoms were significantly less severe after menstruation began, and eating more sugar or fat was linked to worse irritability and tension, while multi-nutrient supplements and higher education seemed to help, in this Bangladeshi study of 400 women. Cohort study, 2025 Does worse PMS pain and concentration problems affect a woman's balance during her cycle? Yes. Women with more pain and concentration problems during menstruation had poorer balance. Women with worse overall symptoms before their period also had poorer balance, though the study was very small with no comparison group. Survey study, 2025 Are PMDD symptoms linked to depression and anxiety? Yes. Women with higher PMDD-type symptom scores were much more likely to have depression and anxiety, and most women with PMDD had severe depression and moderate-to-high anxiety. Survey study, 2025 What factors affect how men and women view premenstrual syndrome? Education, male gender, and being aged 18-45 are linked to more positive views of PMS. Rural residence is linked to less positive views. However, this is a small study in one district of India. Survey study, 2025 Does eating fewer calories affect sleep during the menstrual cycle? Yes. Eating 55% fewer calories disrupts sleep in healthy young women, especially in the late luteal phase when hormone levels are higher. Study, 2025 What is premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and how is it diagnosed? PMDD involves at least 5 psychological symptoms, including mood problems like mood swings, depression, anxiety, or irritability, in the week before the period. It was recognized in DSM-5 in 2013 and ICD-11 in 2022. Study, 2025 Do women use cannabis more during certain menstrual cycle phases, and does mood affect when they use it? Women use cannabis more frequently during the premenstrual phase, and whether they use it to manage mood or physical pain depends on how depressed or angry they feel during different cycle phases. Case report, 2025 Can birth control medication help menstrual cycle-related psychosis? Yes, in one case. A woman with severe monthly psychotic episodes linked to menstruation had sustained improvement over four months after adding a combined oral contraceptive. Survey study, 2025 What are menstrual cycle patterns in elite female basketball players? Most (78.51%) had regular cycles averaging 27.69 days. Most (86.84%) experienced period pain, and 77.63% had PMS symptoms. About 22.81% experienced absent periods. Survey study, 2025 Can constitutional homoeopathic treatment improve premenstrual syndrome symptoms? In this small pilot of 5 women, all showed measurable improvement in PMS symptoms after one menstrual cycle of constitutional homoeopathic treatment, with scores decreasing 12-33 points. Results should be interpreted cautiously due to very small sample size and lack of control group. Study, 2025 Does difficulty managing emotions make menstrual mood symptoms worse? Yes. Women who struggled to manage their emotions had higher anxiety and sadness during the days right before and at the start of their period, and experienced stronger urges to smoke when they felt sadder during this time. Interview study, 2025 What information about PMDD is shared on TikTok? TikTok videos discuss PMDD symptoms, treatments, and the experience of having this condition. The researchers found that TikTok serves as a place where people talk about PMDD, which is often considered a taboo topic. Survey study, 2025 How common are period pain and PMS in Spanish university students, and do lifestyle choices affect them? Over half had period pain and most had PMS symptoms. Women who ate fewer Mediterranean foods, exercised less, and used tobacco had worse symptoms. Survey study, 2025 Are eating behavior, phytoestrogen intake, and chronotype linked to PMS? Two types of eating behavior (restrained and external eating) and low phytoestrogen intake were linked to worse PMS. Emotional eating and chronotype were not linked to PMS in this study. Non-randomised trial, 2025 Does watching an educational video about PMS help women feel more prepared to handle it? Yes, after watching an educational video about PMS, nursing students' knowledge and readiness improved significantly. Survey study, 2025 Does which phase of your menstrual cycle you are in change how you react to positive and negative things? Yes. Women in the late follicular phase (when estradiol is high) approached positive things more quickly. Women in the mid-luteal phase (when progesterone is high) avoided negative things more quickly. These differences showed up in both behavior and brain activity. Survey study, 2025 Can a plant-based supplement reduce PMS symptoms? Yes, a multi-ingredient plant-based supplement taken daily for three months significantly reduced anger, irritability, mood problems, and other PMS symptoms in most women. Without a control group, some improvement might be due to placebo effect or natural changes over time. Interview study, 2025 Do women with PMDD find microdosing psilocybin helpful? In this small interview study, all 14 participants who microdosed psilocybin for PMDD reported some benefit, though how they used it and what they wanted from it varied a lot. This is personal experience only, not proof that it works. Survey study, 2025 Are specific genetic variations linked to PMS and PMDD? Yes, specific genetic variations in the estrogen receptor 1 gene were linked to different PMS symptoms like anxiety and sleep problems, suggesting genetics may affect how sensitive women are to hormones. Sample size is not provided in the abstract. Lab study, 2025 Can genistein reduce anxiety in the premenstrual phase without raising estrogen? Yes. In rats, genistein reduced anxiety during the premenstrual phase as well as the hormone estradiol did, but without increasing estrogen levels in the blood. Survey study, 2025 Does iron level change during different phases of the menstrual cycle? Yes. Iron levels are lower in the follicular phase before ovulation than in the luteal phase after ovulation. This was one school study, so it may not apply to all girls. Review, 2025 Do herbal remedies help with menstrual and menopausal symptoms? Several herbs have been traditionally used and may help with menstrual pain, irregular cycles, mood changes, and heavy bleeding. More rigorous testing is needed to confirm these effects, and you should talk to your doctor before using herbs, especially if you take other medicines. Survey study, 2025 How do hormone changes during the menstrual cycle affect mood and emotions? Estrogen and progesterone affect brain chemicals and structures that control mood, but scientists still cannot fully explain why some women experience severe symptoms like PMS or PMDD. Survey study, 2025 How common are PMS and heavy menstrual bleeding in young Indian women? Between 14.3% and 74.4% of Indian women have PMS, and between 60% and 80% have at least one menstrual disorder. Many do not seek medical treatment. This is a very small observational study with limited detail. Review, 2025 How do hormone changes during the menstrual cycle affect women's health? Hormone fluctuations can cause irregular periods, mood swings, acne, fatigue, and conditions like PMS and PCOS, made worse by stress and poor lifestyle habits. This is a general review without specific research findings or proven treatments. Lab study, 2025 Does the protein HIF2A cause heavy menstrual bleeding? A laboratory study suggests that high HIF2A levels in the uterus may slow down healing and be linked to heavier bleeding, but HIF2A alone probably does not cause heavy bleeding. Limiting HIF2A levels may help the uterus work better during menstruation. Survey study, 2025 How do menstrual health and mental health affect each other? Menstrual problems like PMS, painful periods, and endometriosis affect mood, stress, and thinking. Poor mental health can make menstrual symptoms worse. Connections involve hormones, emotions like stigma and body image, and social factors like education and hygiene access. Survey study, 2025 How much do period problems like painful periods and PMS affect college girls' daily lives? Painful periods and PMS were common among college girls and affected their studies, physical health, mood, and social life, though the study does not give exact numbers. Survey study, 2025 Does anxiety and emotion regulation change across the menstrual cycle in women with PMS and PMDD? Yes, women with PMS and PMDD showed higher anxiety sensitivity and worse emotion regulation during the luteal phase compared to those without these conditions. Survey study, 2025 Are mental health problems linked to period pain and lack of support? Yes. About 29% of girls experienced anxiety, 14% stress, and 32% depression. Those with moderate or severe period pain or without support during menstruation were more likely to experience these mental health problems. Case-control study, 2025 Do certain hormone-related brain chemicals predict how bad premenstrual depression and anxiety will be? In this small study, women with a PMDD-like condition had higher levels of a calming hormone (allopregnanolone) early in the cycle, and higher levels of it predicted worse later depression and anxiety. The sample is small, so this is an early finding, not a proven cause. Cohort study, 2025 Do women with PMS have more nightmares before their period, and does nightmare therapy help? In this very small study, women with PMS showed more frequent nightmares in the premenstrual phase. Nightmare therapy improved overall severity, but the benefit in PMS women specifically was unclear. Survey study, 2025 Do brain chemistry genes shift across the menstrual cycle in women with mood changes? Yes, genes that control a brain chemical called GABA do change across the menstrual cycle in women with mood disorders. However, the relationship is complex: both unusually high and unusually low gene activity can be linked to worsening mood symptoms like anxiety and suicidal thoughts. Survey study, 2025 How do hormonal changes affect ADHD symptoms in women? Hormonal changes significantly impact women with ADHD. Symptoms may get worse during certain parts of the menstrual cycle and after childbirth, often with mood and sleep problems. Case-control study, 2025 How does PMDD and PMS affect thinking skills across the menstrual cycle? Women with PMDD had larger changes in thinking skills between cycle phases than those with PMS. Language and abstract thinking improved during the follicular phase in all groups. Survey study, 2025 How common is PMS and how much does it affect quality of life? About 6 in 10 women studied had PMS, and it significantly reduced their quality of life. Case report, 2025 How do hormones affect yeast infections that keep coming back before menstruation? Estrogen and progesterone changes make yeast grow more easily and reduce the body's ability to fight it. Switching to a different type of birth control helped one woman's recurrent yeast infections. Survey study, 2025 What is premenstrual syndrome and how can it be managed in adolescent girls? PMS is a combination of physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms affecting 70-90% of women of reproductive age in Indonesia. It can be managed with medications like NSAIDs and antidepressants, or non-medication approaches like exercise and lifestyle changes. Survey study, 2025 Does dental anxiety change depending on where women are in their cycle? Yes. Women in their menstrual and secretory phases reported higher dental anxiety than men. Physical measures of anxiety, like blood pressure, showed no differences. Survey study, 2025 How common is PMS among female medical students and how does it affect their quality of life? 88.46% of female medical students had PMS, and it significantly reduced their quality of life. The study found strong associations between PMS and unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and poor sleep. Case report, 2025 How common are premenstrual symptoms in women during COVID-19 quarantine? In a survey of 109 Italian women in May 2020, 77% reported premenstrual symptoms and approximately 36.7% reported at least five symptoms including mood symptoms. Survey study, 2025 Does a new Turkish questionnaire work well to screen for PMDD? Yes, in this study the questionnaire showed strong reliability and was very good at telling apart people with and without PMDD. Survey study, 2025 How many women with menstrual cramps are diagnosed with dysmenorrhea? Very few. Only 4.6% of women with dysmenorrhea symptoms were diagnosed with it, mainly because they did not see a doctor. Some were told they had PMS instead. Survey study, 2025 Is low hemoglobin linked to worse PMS? Yes, there is a relationship between hemoglobin levels and PMS severity. Low hemoglobin may worsen PMS symptoms by reducing oxygen in the blood. Interview study, 2025 Do the seasons affect menstrual cycle symptoms? Yes. Seasons affect both physical and emotional symptoms during the menstrual cycle, with many women reporting worsening of symptoms in certain seasons. Survey study, 2025 Does PMS affect how well female martial arts athletes perform? Yes. Most female martial arts athletes experienced severe PMS symptoms, and PMS significantly affected their sports performance, though most still achieved adequate performance levels. Survey study, 2025 Does regular physical activity reduce PMS symptoms in adolescent girls? Yes, there is a statistically significant correlation. Girls who do more physical activity tend to have fewer or less severe PMS symptoms (p=0.018). Non-randomised trial, 2025 Does singing bowl chakra massage therapy reduce PMS symptoms in teenage girls? Yes. Teenage girls who received singing bowl chakra massage therapy showed significantly lower PMS scores compared to the control group, with moderate to large effect sizes. Survey study, 2025 How do PMDD treatments affect sleep? This review examines how PMDD treatments like SSRIs affect sleep and circadian rhythms, but current research is limited. More research is needed to fully understand these effects. Survey study, 2025 How do estrogen and progesterone affect anxiety and cigarette craving during the menstrual cycle? Anxiety and cigarette craving are highest during the 7 days before your period starts and the first 3 days after, regardless of hormone levels. At other times, higher progesterone and lower estrogen are linked to lower anxiety and craving. Review, 2025 Are PMS and mood disorders like depression and anxiety connected? This review says yes, PMS and mood disorders often overlap and may share some of the same underlying causes, but it is a summary of existing ideas rather than a new study with its own results. Survey study, 2025 How common is PMS among female medical students, and how severe are the symptoms? PMS is very common in female medical students (71.1%), with most having both emotional and physical symptoms of moderate severity. Survey study, 2025 Does caffeine affect the menstrual cycle? A study of female medical students found a significant link between caffeine drinks and menstrual cycle changes, but the abstract does not specify what the effects were. Cohort study, 2025 Does personality type affect how severe PMS symptoms are? Yes. Women with higher neuroticism (emotional instability) experience more severe PMS symptoms, and openness to experience also showed a weaker link to PMS severity. Survey study, 2025 Are violent tendencies linked to premenstrual symptoms? Students with higher PMS symptoms, especially anxiety, irritability, and sleep problems, had higher violence tendency scores. This shows a link in the data but doesn't prove that PMS causes violence. Survey study, 2025 Does PMS affect food cravings during the menstrual cycle? Yes. Women with PMS reported significantly higher desire for food during the luteal phase (second half of cycle) compared to women without PMS. PMS affects both appetite intensity and what women crave. Survey study, 2025 Can stress affect your menstrual cycle? Stress can affect the menstrual cycle in various ways, from making it irregular to stopping periods completely, and can cause serious long-term health problems including bone loss and heart risks. Survey study, 2025 How common is PMS among nursing and paramedical students and how does it affect their quality of life? 62.7% of nursing and paramedical students had PMS, and it significantly reduced their quality of life. About half experienced mood symptoms in the premenstrual phase. Case-control study, 2025 Are brain structure differences in PMDD permanent or temporary? Brain volume differences in women with PMDD appear to be permanent traits that don't change across the menstrual cycle. This suggests the differences reflect an underlying vulnerability to PMDD rather than temporary changes from symptoms. Survey study, 2025 Does the PMS-Cope questionnaire work well for Indonesian women? Yes. The study found that the PMS-Cope questionnaire has good reliability and validity for measuring how Indonesian women cope with PMS. The questionnaire was successfully translated and tested. Interview study, 2025 What causes PMS and PMDD? PMS and PMDD involve hormonal changes (estrogen and progesterone), but they also depend on how women think, feel, and experience their social world. Understanding all three together gives a fuller picture than focusing only on hormones. Survey study, 2025 What are the most common PMS symptoms in university students and how much do they affect daily life? All 150 students surveyed reported PMS symptoms. About 69% had moderate to severe physical symptoms like fatigue and pain, and 65% had psychological symptoms like anxiety and mood swings. Nearly half missed classes due to symptoms. Review, 2025 How does the menstrual cycle affect psychiatric symptoms like depression and anxiety? Many women experience worsening psychiatric symptoms during the premenstrual and menstrual phases due to hormonal changes in estrogen and progesterone. Treatment should monitor symptoms across the menstrual cycle and may include lifestyle changes, therapy, antidepressants, or hormonal therapies. Case report, 2025 Can whey protein help premenstrual dysphoric disorder symptoms? In one case study, a woman with PMDD perceived substantial relief of her symptoms (approximately 80-95% improvement) when she took whey protein concentrate daily for 8 days before her period. Study, 2025 Do women with PMDD have different brain structures? Yes. Women with PMDD had larger white matter (a type of brain tissue) in several areas compared to women without PMDD. This difference was present throughout their menstrual cycle. Survey study, 2025 Do women with PMS sense their body signals differently from women without PMS? Yes. Women with PMS are very good at detecting their own heartbeat but less aware of what those sensations mean. They also take longer to calm down after stressful situations. Interview study, 2024 Do women with ADHD benefit from a group focused on the menstrual cycle? Women with ADHD who attended a group program focused on the menstrual cycle said it was helpful and made them more aware of their symptoms. We do not know if ADHD symptoms actually improved. Study, 2024 Does Ayurvedic medicine explain premenstrual symptoms? According to Ayurvedic medicine, premenstrual symptoms happen when there is an imbalance in Apana Vayu, an important function in the lower abdomen. Restoring balance in this system may help relieve both emotional and physical symptoms. Survey study, 2024 What premenstrual symptoms do martial arts athletes experience? Martial arts athletes experience both disturbing and non-disturbing PMS symptoms with regular 35-day menstrual cycles, and they have no significant difference in PMS compared to non-athletes. Survey study, 2024 Does teaching girls about PMS improve their knowledge? Yes, a teaching program significantly improved girls' knowledge about PMS. Before the program, 90% of girls had inadequate knowledge about it. Survey study, 2024 What factors are associated with PMS and PMDD in adolescent and young women? The study found that mood symptoms (anger, anxiety, irritability), physical symptoms (headache, weight gain), and higher BMI were significantly associated with PMS and PMDD. However, the study had very few cases of PMDD. Cohort study, 2024 Which premenstrual symptoms are reliable for diagnosing PMS? None of the symptoms studied were both sensitive and specific enough to reliably diagnose PMS on their own. Some symptoms like diarrhea were very specific but rarely detected PMS, while others like body discomfort were sensitive but not specific. Survey study, 2024 Does heart rate variability change predict who will have worse premenstrual mood? No. The relationship is more complex. Only women whose heart rate variability increased (rather than decreased) during the luteal phase had worse premenstrual mood. Survey study, 2024 How much do teenage girls know about premenstrual syndrome? Most teenage girls in this school did not know much about PMS. About 53% had low awareness. Survey study, 2024 How do mood and emotion regulation differ between women with PMS and PMDD? Women with PMS had reduced activity in the brain region controlling emotional responses, while women with PMDD did not show this difference. Both groups had different mood patterns across phases of the menstrual cycle. Survey study, 2024 Can mood early in the cycle predict who will have PMS symptoms? Possibly. Women with lower mood scores during the follicular phase showed reduced automatic nervous system activity as they moved toward their period, which may indicate PMS symptoms. The study is small and early-stage. Survey study, 2024 Is suicidal thinking more common in women with premenstrual disorders? Yes. Women with premenstrual disorders have higher rates of suicidal thinking and attempts, especially if they are young (18-25), unemployed, have low income, or have depression or anxiety. Review, 2024 Is saffron as effective as fluoxetine for treating PMDD? This review examines whether the herbal remedy saffron works as well as fluoxetine, an antidepressant used for PMDD. Both work through similar brain mechanisms, but the review doesn't conclude which is more effective. Survey study, 2024 Does menstruation increase anxiety, stress, and depression? Yes, women had significantly higher anxiety, stress, and depression during menstruation compared to non-menstruating days. Non-randomised trial, 2024 Does cognitive-behavioral or mindfulness stress management help reduce PMS in high school girls? The study compared cognitive-behavioral and mindfulness stress management for PMS in high school girls, but the results section of the abstract was not provided, so the effectiveness is unknown. Survey study, 2024 Does musculoskeletal pain affect quality of life and mood in women with PMS? Yes. Women with more severe musculoskeletal pain had worse quality of life, less physical activity, and worse mood during the luteal phase, though this study cannot prove pain causes these effects. Survey study, 2024 What factors are linked to PMDD in female university students? PMDD is common in this student population (62.6%), and appears linked to severe menstrual pain, irregular cycles, poor social support, and using contraception. Results come from one university in Ethiopia and may not apply elsewhere. Survey study, 2024 Does the stage of your menstrual cycle change your balance? Yes, this small study found balance and postural control were slightly worse before ovulation and improved after ovulation. Lab study, 2024 Does the yoga pose Baddha Konasana help PMDD? No clear difference. Although symptoms decreased somewhat from the first to the second menstrual cycle, the improvement was not large enough to confirm that the yoga pose helps. Survey study, 2024 Does teaching about PMS help students learn? Yes. After the teaching programme, students' knowledge scores more than doubled. Non-randomised trial, 2024 Does laughter yoga reduce PMS symptoms? Yes. Women who did laughter yoga showed significant improvements in depression, anxiety, fatigue, irritability, pain, bloating, and sleep problems compared to women who received no treatment. Study, 2024 Does menstrual cycle phase affect how exercise changes stress hormones, energy use, or thinking ability? Menstrual cycle phase does not change how exercise affects thinking ability, but it does change how the body uses energy and stress hormones in response to exercise. This is a small study. Study, 2024 Does PMS affect how well women can think and concentrate? Yes. Women with PMS had difficulty concentrating in the week before their period. Having a baby did not change how women think long-term. Randomised trial, 2024 Does a supplement with Rhodiola, Vitex, and vitamin B6 reduce PMS? The supplement improved mood and antioxidant protection in women taking it, but the study could not tell if this was better than placebo because both groups improved similarly. Lab study, 2024 Do physical exercises help women in their 40s and 50s improve strength and flexibility? After 12 weeks of regular exercise (two 60-minute sessions per week), women showed improvements in abdominal strength, hamstring flexibility, and upper body strength. Squats and push-ups were particularly helpful. Study, 2024 Can fluoxetine help someone with both bulimia and PMDD? In this one case, yes. A woman's binge and purge behaviors almost completely stopped after switching to fluoxetine, and her pre-menstrual mood and cognitive symptoms improved, though some mood symptoms continued. Study, 2024 Can PMDD be severe enough to lead to self-harm, and does treatment help? Yes. This case describes a young woman whose PMDD led to a self-harm attempt, and she improved within a month of starting treatment with fluoxetine. Case report, 2024 Does green gram soup and barley porridge help PMS symptoms? One 14-year-old girl who ate green gram soup and barley porridge during the first three days of her menstrual period reported that her PMS symptoms improved over six menstrual cycles. This is based on just one case, so we cannot be sure it would help others. Cohort study, 2024 Do women with irregular periods have more depression symptoms? Women with irregular cycles reported more depression symptoms in both studies. However, in the more rigorous analysis with complete data, the result was not statistically significant, so the link is unclear. Survey study, 2024 Are eating patterns and rest patterns related to PMS? Yes, both eating patterns and rest patterns are significantly associated with PMS in these midwifery students. Survey study, 2024 Does PMS affect women's quality of life at work? About 23% of women employees had PMS, and those with PMS had significantly lower work-related quality of life than those without. However, this was from one manufacturing company, so results may not apply elsewhere. Survey study, 2024 What is the prevalence and impact of PMS on quality of life in adolescent girls? About two-thirds of the girls studied had PMS, with headache being the most common symptom. Only about one-third reported good quality of life when asked about PMS effects. Case report, 2024 Does Pulsatilla help with premenstrual syndrome symptoms? One woman treated with Pulsatilla 200 showed improvement in her symptoms. However, this is just one person without a comparison group, so we cannot be sure it works for others. Survey study, 2024 How do sleep disruption, mood, and menstrual phase affect each other? During the perimenstrual phase (around menstruation), women wake up 8-16 minutes longer at night than other cycle phases and feel more anger. When sleep is disrupted during this phase, positive emotions drop. Study, 2024 How do menstrual hormones affect sleep? Hormones from the menstrual cycle affect sleep, mood, body temperature, and stress responses. Women with PMS or PCOS often have sleep problems, and women with more emotional premenstrual symptoms tend to be sleepier in the week before their period. Non-randomised trial, 2024 Does luteal phase sertraline treatment affect stress hormones and inflammation in PMDD? Sertraline during the luteal phase changed stress hormone levels in complex ways depending on other hormonal factors, but results were mixed and this exploratory study had no placebo control group. Survey study, 2024 Does childhood abuse increase premenstrual syndrome through suicidal thoughts? Yes. Women who experienced childhood abuse were more likely to have PMS, partly through increased suicidal thoughts. Different types of abuse had slightly different patterns. Survey study, 2024 Does the menstrual cycle affect well-being and performance in professional female soccer players? The menstrual cycle phase did not affect how far players ran, how hard they worked, or their overall well-being after matches. Sleep quality was worse after away matches, and losing affected stress and mood for 2 days, regardless of cycle phase. Study, 2024 Can PMDD cause psychosis that returns with each menstrual cycle? Yes. A woman experienced psychotic symptoms starting 5 days before her period and ending when her period began, and this pattern repeated every month for 5 years. Treatment with medications reduced the severity but did not completely stop the symptoms. Cohort study, 2024 Do women with PCOS get worse mood symptoms before their period? It is not clear yet. There are early hints that women with PCOS may have premenstrual mood flare-ups, but the research so far is too preliminary and inconsistent to say for sure. Study, 2024 Why does mood change in the premenstrual phase? Mood changes are caused by hormone changes. When estrogen and progesterone levels drop before your period, serotonin (a brain chemical that affects mood) production also drops. The pituitary gland plays a key role by producing hormones that control ovulation and by indirectly regulating serotonin. Case report, 2024 How is PMDD diagnosed and treated in teenagers? One 19-year-old girl with severe cyclical mood symptoms was diagnosed with PMDD by tracking symptoms for two menstrual cycles and improved markedly after starting an SSRI and birth control pills. Survey study, 2024 Do blood flow changes during menstruation worsen PMDD differently in autistic women? This article discusses existing theory rather than reporting new research. It suggests blood flow redirects to the uterus during menstruation, which may reduce blood flow to the brain's prefrontal cortex and worsen mood dysregulation in autistic women, especially combined with sensory sensitivities. Survey study, 2024 What are normal measurements for balance and reaction time in women with PMS? The study recorded specific measurements of proprioception and reaction time in different directions. These are preliminary findings from a small sample that need testing in a much larger group to apply broadly. Interview study, 2024 What do men think about menstruation and menstrual discs? Most male clients had limited knowledge and viewed menstruation as dirty or risky. When shown a menstrual disc, most accepted it as safe and hygienic. Cohort study, 2024 Does borderline personality disorder get worse at certain times in the menstrual cycle? Yes. Most emotional symptoms in women with borderline personality disorder worsen in the midluteal phase and around menstruation. The majority showed at least 30% worsening of symptoms. Study, 2024 Do women with PMDD have different patterns in genes related to brain chemistry? Yes. Women with PMDD had lower activity of a specific gene (KCC1) related to brain chemistry during certain parts of the menstrual cycle. This supports the idea that PMDD may involve problems with how a calming brain chemical called GABA is controlled. Survey study, 2024 Do women with PMDD have more depression and anxiety than those without PMDD? Yes. Women with PMDD had significantly higher depression and anxiety symptoms and lower well-being compared to women without PMDD. Cohort study, 2024 What are the symptoms of PMDD and how common is it? PMDD appears fairly common in this Hungarian sample. Women with probable PMDD reported significantly higher depression and anxiety and lower well-being than those without PMDD. Survey study, 2024 How common is premenstrual syndrome among medical students? All medical students surveyed had PMS according to the questionnaire used, though most had mild or moderate symptoms. The 100% rate is higher than other studies and suggests the questionnaire captured very mild cases. Survey study, 2024 Does premenstrual syndrome affect a woman's quality of life? The study measured quality of life in physiotherapy students and found an average score of 72.59%, and concluded that quality of life was affected by PMS. Without knowing how this score compares to women without PMS, it is hard to judge how significant this finding is. Survey study, 2024 Does PMS affect heart rate variability and attention? Yes. Women with higher PMS symptoms showed decreased heart rate variability and reduced attention performance during the premenstrual phase. The study was small and more research is needed. Survey study, 2024 What premenstrual symptoms are most common in working women? Physical symptoms like breast tenderness, headaches, joint and muscle pain, bloating and weight gain are most common in moderate to severe form, along with fatigue and irritability. Interestingly, sleeping too much is more common than insomnia. Survey study, 2024 How common is PMS among teenage girls, and do they get help for it? PMS was found in about 61% of the adolescent girls studied, with roughly half of those having severe symptoms, and none had actually sought medical help for premenstrual complaints. This is one clinic-based study, so the exact numbers may not apply everywhere. Survey study, 2024 How are PMS and stress connected, and what is the role of stress dysfunction in PMS? This review proposes that abnormal stress coping and stress reactivity (stress dysfunction) are key factors linking PMS and stress, and that they may share similar brain and hormone pathways. However, this is a theoretical framework, not proven findings from patient studies. Survey study, 2024 Is the PvuII-ESR1 gene variant linked to PMDD in South Indian women? No. The study found no significant association between this specific gene variant and PMDD. Survey study, 2024 Is metabolic syndrome linked to worse PMS symptoms? Women with metabolic syndrome had significantly more severe PMS symptoms than those without it. However, we cannot be sure if metabolic syndrome causes the severity or if they are simply linked. Survey study, 2024 Does nutrient intake and appetite change during the menstrual cycle relate to PMS symptoms? Women who eat more carbohydrates, protein, fat, and saturated fat have worse PMS symptoms including anxiety, irritability, depression, pain, fatigue, and sleep problems. Higher appetite also correlates with worse mood and fatigue. Non-randomised trial, 2024 Do women with PMDD detect facial emotions differently? Yes. Women with PMDD symptoms detected negative emotions more accurately and earlier, especially disgust and sadness, and this was more pronounced during the premenstrual phase. However, the study was small and online, so we need to confirm this in larger studies. Review, 2024 Can wearable devices track mood changes in PMDD before they happen? This is a review of existing research, not a new experiment. It suggests that wearable trackers measuring heart rate variability, sleep, and physical activity show promise for spotting mood changes in PMDD, but this has not yet been tested or used in real clinical care. Survey study, 2024 How do hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle affect gut health and mood? Hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle affect the bacteria in the gut and mood. Higher progesterone levels in the premenstrual phase are linked with worse bloating, constipation, and mood swings. Approximately 50% to 80% of women experience premenstrual symptoms that affect daily life. Non-randomised trial, 2024 Does cognitive behavioral therapy help reduce PMDD symptoms in teenage girls? Yes. Adolescents with PMDD who received cognitive behavioral therapy showed significant symptom reduction compared to a no-treatment group. Study, 2024 Can eating fermented foods with Aspergillus oryzae reduce belly pain from PMS? Eight out of 11 women (72.7%) experienced abdominal discomfort during the luteal phase when PMS happens. Eating fermented food containing Aspergillus oryzae may reduce PMS belly symptoms by 72.7%. Cohort study, 2024 Does menstrual cycle phase affect anxiety and complications during tooth extraction surgery? Yes. Women had significantly higher anxiety and more complications during the secretory phase (second half) of their cycle compared to other phases. Women also had higher anxiety than men overall. Survey study, 2024 How does menstruation affect female taekwondo athletes' training and performance? Physical premenstrual symptoms and menstrual cramps most affected athletic performance. Menstruation did not stop athletes from competing, but weight loss before competition was common and linked to irregular periods. Survey study, 2024 Does nutrition affect menstrual health? Good nutrition supports menstrual health and reduces symptoms. A balanced diet with enough nutrients helps prevent cramps, fatigue, and mood swings. Poor nutrition and overeating both harm menstrual cycles. Survey study, 2024 Does knowing about Ayurvedic yoga make teenage girls more interested in practicing it for PMS? Yes, teenage girls with more knowledge about Ayurvedic yoga were significantly more interested in practicing it (p=0.00). Survey study, 2024 Does anxiety change at different times during the menstrual cycle in teenage girls? Yes. Girls had higher anxiety overall than boys. Among girls, those in the luteal phase before their period had higher anxiety than those in the menstrual phase. Survey study, 2024 How common is PMS in women with phenylketonuria, and does blood phenylalanine level predict symptoms? 39.1% of women with PKU experience PMS, with fatigue (55.4%), appetite changes (59.4%), and irritability (52.7%) being the most common symptoms. Blood phenylalanine levels did not predict who has PMS symptoms. Survey study, 2024 Does stress affect the menstrual cycle in college students? Yes, there is a significant relationship between stress level and menstrual cycle in this study. However, this is cross-sectional so we cannot be sure stress causes menstrual changes rather than the reverse. Non-randomised trial, 2024 Can theta burst transcranial magnetic stimulation help treat PMDD? The study results are not provided in this abstract, which only contains background information. Theta burst stimulation may be promising based on its effectiveness for depression. Survey study, 2024 Do women with PMS have worse balance, reaction time, and coordination than women without PMS? Yes, women with PMS showed significantly worse proprioception, reaction time, and coordination in all directions tested (all p<0.05). Study, 2024 How do different types of premenstrual symptoms change during the menstrual cycle? Different types of symptoms follow different patterns. Physical symptoms increase and decrease more sharply than mood and relationship symptoms, which are milder throughout the cycle. Case report, 2023 Can mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy help women with PMS? This case describes using mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy to manage PMS, especially how PMS affects mood, behavior, and work performance. Survey study, 2023 Are there differences in brain activity and structure between women with PMS and without? Yes. Women with PMS showed different brain activity and lower gray matter volume in regions related to emotion, thinking, and movement. This doesn't prove what causes the differences. Case report, 2023 Does a combination of maca, progesterone, and magnesium help PMDD symptoms? One woman improved significantly in headaches, cramping, menstrual flow, and psychiatric symptoms within three months. This is one person's experience, so we can't be sure others would benefit. Survey study, 2023 Is PMS linked to poor sleep and negative feelings about menstruation? Yes, worse PMS symptoms are strongly linked to poorer sleep quality and more negative attitudes toward menstruation. Case-control study, 2023 Is diet linked to PMS severity? Only copper intake was higher in women with PMS compared to women without PMS, but this finding is very preliminary and the researchers say larger studies are needed before drawing conclusions. Survey study, 2023 Is there a link between PMS symptoms and how the nervous system controls heart rate? Possibly. Three women showed medium to high connections between their PMS symptoms and heart rate variability throughout the menstrual cycle, especially for mood symptoms. Survey study, 2023 Can gene activity in the brain help explain or diagnose PMDD, based on a rat study? In rats, a set of 17 genes could predict PMDD-like symptom groups with 96% accuracy, but this has not been tested in women. Survey study, 2023 Does childhood trauma make premenstrual symptoms worse in women with PMDD? Yes, women with PMDD who experienced childhood adversity had stronger mood worsening during the premenstrual phase compared to those without. However, this was a small study with no control group, so we need more research to confirm the findings. Survey study, 2023 Does reaction time change during the menstrual cycle? Reaction time was slower during the luteal phase compared to other cycle phases, but the difference was very small and not clearly seen. Survey study, 2023 Do women with PMS have slower reaction times and mood changes than others? Women with PMS had slower reaction times and higher anxiety, depression, and stress levels. As PMS severity increased, these effects worsened. Survey study, 2023 Is there a link between weight (BMI) and the severity of PMS symptoms? Yes. Higher BMI was linked to more severe emotional and behavioral PMS symptoms, though this doesn't prove weight causes PMS. Survey study, 2023 Did COVID-19 stress affect menstrual cycles and mental health? Yes, during the pandemic women had longer cycles, more heavy bleeding days, and more mental health problems like depression and anxiety. The proportion of women with heavy bleeding more than doubled. Survey study, 2023 Does low energy availability or eating problems affect how well young female soccer players perform? No. Low energy availability and eating problems were not significantly linked to physical performance. However, most players perceived their menstrual cycle affected their game, and they rarely discussed this with coaches. Survey study, 2023 Is a new questionnaire a good tool to measure quality of life during menstruation? Yes, the Menstrual Health Outcome Questionnaire is valid and reliable. It contains 35 questions and passed multiple statistical quality tests. Survey study, 2023 Does PMS cause changes to the automatic nervous system? No. The study found only a weak connection between PMS and nervous system changes. All women had nervous system changes during their cycle, regardless of whether they had PMS. Survey study, 2023 Do personality traits and hormone changes affect how well women recognize emotions? Women who score high in neuroticism recognized emotions less well when progesterone was high. Personality traits did not significantly affect emotion recognition across different cycle phases. Study, 2023 Do core muscle strengthening exercises help premenstrual syndrome? The study examined this question but no results are provided in the available information. Survey study, 2023 Can brain stimulation reduce appetite and improve mood in women with PMS? Brain stimulation showed only a possible small effect on wanting low-fat savory foods, with no clear benefits for hunger, mood, or other food preferences. The study was too small to draw firm conclusions. Survey study, 2023 Does a video program help teenagers learn about PMS? Yes. Teenagers who watched a video about PMS gained 16.55% more knowledge than those who did not. Randomised trial, 2023 Does matching your running training to your menstrual cycle phase improve performance, recovery and wellbeing? This pilot study was designed to test that question, but the text available here stops before the results section, so no answer can be given yet. Non-randomised trial, 2023 Does a supplement with Vitex, vitamin B6, and magnesium reduce PMS symptoms? Yes. The supplement was more effective than standard therapy alone at reducing PMS symptoms and improving quality of life, with the best results when combined with standard treatment. Case-control study, 2023 Do women with PMDD show different brain responses to emotions across the menstrual cycle? Women with PMDD show increased activity in emotion-processing brain areas during the late luteal phase compared to controls, and this activity is linked to the balance of allopregnanolone and isoallopregnanolone in different ways than in healthy women. Interview study, 2023 Does the menstrual cycle affect mental health in women admitted to hospital for psychiatric care? Of 16 women who had a recent period, 10 reported that their mental health got worse before their period. Symptoms included increased thoughts of suicide, anger, low mood, and unusual experiences. Survey study, 2023 What symptoms does PMS cause and how common is severe PMS? PMS can cause around 150 different symptoms ranging from cramps to mood changes to fatigue. About 3-8% of women experience premenstrual dysphoric disorder, which is a more severe form than typical PMS. Survey study, 2023 Could treatments that affect the brain's GABA system help PMDD? This review suggests GABA system changes may cause PMDD symptoms. Three compounds being tested in early clinical trials show promise, but much larger studies are needed to confirm if they work. Case report, 2023 Can maca, alfalfa, and magnesium help with PMS, period pain, and heavy bleeding? One woman taking these supplements for four months experienced relief of her PMS symptoms, period pain, cramping, and heavy bleeding. However, this is just one person, so we cannot be certain these supplements caused the improvement. Randomised trial, 2023 What does research show about PMDD neurochemistry? The provided text does not include results from a PMDD neurochemistry study. It discusses unrelated research on other topics. Survey study, 2023 How do eating habits change during the menstrual cycle in women with PMS? During the luteal phase before the period, women eat less healthy food and more high-calorie food. All 50 women reported having at least one PMS symptom during this phase. Survey study, 2023 Can a computer system predict what type of PMS symptoms a woman will have? A computer model predicted different PMS types with very high accuracy (over 99%), but only 8 women were tested, so much more research is needed. Cohort study, 2023 What menstrual cycle data has been collected in a long-term UK study of mothers and daughters? A major UK birth cohort collected data on menstrual problems including irregular periods, heavy bleeding, pain, and premenstrual symptoms from mothers and daughters over many years. This data can be used to study what causes menstrual problems. Study, 2023 How does menstruation affect different areas of women's lives? Menstruation affects mental health, education, money, and culture, and the challenges are worse for some women depending on race and economic status. Survey study, 2023 Does online exercise improve PMS symptoms? Yes. Women who did 8 weeks of online aerobic exercise and movement training had clear improvements in PMS symptoms and mood. Randomised trial, 2023 Are there new drug treatments for PMDD besides SSRIs? Yes. A new class of drugs called selective progesterone receptor modulators, specifically ulipristal acetate, significantly reduced PMDD mental symptoms compared to placebo with minimal side effects. More research is needed on long-term safety. Survey study, 2023 Does knowledge about PMS reduce PMS symptoms in female students? Yes, students with good knowledge were more likely to not experience PMS symptoms compared to those with poor knowledge, and attitudes were also related to experiencing symptoms. However, we cannot tell if knowledge reduces PMS or if the relationship works differently. Survey study, 2023 What do adolescent girls in India know about menstruation and PMS? Most girls knew menstruation was natural and learned from their mothers, but over half had never heard of PMS. Girls with good knowledge about periods had less period-related anxiety. Survey study, 2023 How common is PMDD among female medical students, and do they recognize it? 27% of female medical students had PMDD, but only 25.9% of those diagnosed recognized the condition. Overall, just 38% of students had adequate awareness of PMDD. Those with PMDD had lower hemoglobin and higher inflammation markers. Study, 2023 What physical and emotional symptoms do women with PMDD experience? Women with PMDD experience severe physical symptoms such as pain, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, and sleep problems, as well as emotional symptoms like irritability, anxiety, and depression that significantly disrupt work and daily life. Interview study, 2023 What PMS symptoms do university students experience, and how do they cope with them? University students frequently reported PMS, with anxiety, fatigue, and breast tenderness being the most common symptoms. Most students had good coping skills and used strategies like rest, exercise, and herbal tea. Survey study, 2023 How common is PMS among women in Azad Kashmir and Pakistan and what factors are related to it? 27.1% of women had PMS. Many women were unaware of PMS (38.7%) or menstruation (12.9%), and few consulted a doctor about their symptoms. Survey study, 2023 How common is PMS among female nursing students and how does it affect their lives? 61.4% of nursing students had PMS. Most had physical symptoms, anger, anxiety, and sensitivity. These symptoms interfered significantly with family relationships, social life, and academic work. Survey study, 2023 How common are PMS and PMDD among college girls, and what are their symptoms? Among 318 college students in India, 44 had PMDD and 89 had PMS. Symptoms differed, with PMDD including more severe mood changes like anger, tearfulness, and anxiety than PMS. Case report, 2023 Should doctors check whether mood symptoms are linked to the menstrual cycle before treating them? This paper says yes. It argues doctors treating women of childbearing age for mood symptoms should always consider whether the menstrual cycle plays a role, using one woman's case as an example. Survey study, 2023 Does menstrual distress affect how well female basketball players perform? No. Menstrual distress did not appear to affect basketball performance. However, women with more menstrual distress were more likely to also have depression. Survey study, 2023 How do hormone changes affect brain chemistry in PMDD? This review article proposes that PMDD occurs when the hormone allopregnanolone drops during the luteal phase, reducing sensitivity of brain receptors that normally calm activity. Targeting these receptors could be a strategy for treating PMDD. Randomised trial, 2023 Does a smartphone app for heart rate variability biofeedback reduce premenstrual and depressive symptoms? Yes, the app reduced premenstrual, depressive, and stress symptoms over 4 weeks. However, it did not change the underlying heart rate patterns it was designed to improve. Non-randomised trial, 2023 Can Spiritual Emotional Freedom Technique help with premenstrual mood swings? Unable to answer based on this abstract. The abstract describes the study methods but does not report the results or whether SEFT therapy helped. Survey study, 2023 How common are migraines linked to the menstrual cycle in women with PMS? About 10.7% of reproductive age women in Saudi Arabia experienced migraines tied to their menstrual cycle. Among all women with migraine, 57.9% had migraines linked to their menstrual cycle. These migraines significantly interfered with work and daily activities. Study, 2023 Are testosterone and prolactin levels different in women with PMDD? Yes. Women with PMDD and high depression scores had lower levels of a protein called β-Arrestin1 alongside higher testosterone and prolactin levels in their blood. Survey study, 2023 Did COVID-19 infection and vaccination affect women's menstrual cycles and mental health? Yes, temporarily. 48.2% of women reported menstrual changes after COVID and 58.8% after vaccination, with more period pain and PMS. Mental health worsened with more anxiety and poor sleep. Most changes improved by 6 months. Lab study, 2023 Does menstrual cycle phase affect anxiety differently after becoming a mother? Menstrual cycle phase changed anxiety in women without children but made no difference in mothers. Motherhood appears to reduce how hormones affect anxiety. Survey study, 2023 Is low vitamin D linked to depression and irregular periods in women with premenstrual syndrome? Yes. Among 250 women with PMS, 61.2% had vitamin D deficiency. Those with deficiency were much more likely to have depression, with 28.8% having severe depression. The link was statistically strong (P=0.001). Case report, 2023 Can stopping ovulation help severe PMDD when other treatments do not work? Yes. In this case, a woman with severe PMDD symptoms had improvement when treated with leuprorelin acetate and full resolution after surgery to remove her ovaries. This is a single case of very severe PMDD. Survey study, 2023 Are academic stress and weight connected with PMS symptoms in teenage girls? In this study of 31 ninth grade girls, both academic stress and body weight were clearly linked to PMS symptoms. Review, 2023 Do relaxation techniques help manage PMS? Two relaxation techniques may help reduce depression and improve quality of life for PMS, but only a limited number of research studies exist on this topic. Survey study, 2023 What causes PMDD? PMDD involves progesterone and brain chemistry. When progesterone converts to a substance called allopregnanolone in the brain, it affects how GABA receptors (brain cells that create calming signals) respond, which may trigger PMDD. Review, 2023 How does the stress response system affect depression during reproductive stages like PMDD? The HPA axis, which controls the stress response, changes during reproductive stages and plays an important role in depression risk at vulnerable times like PMDD, after birth, and perimenopause. Past stress and trauma exposure increase this risk. Review, 2023 What causes PMS and how is it treated? The exact cause of PMS is not known, but it is a complex condition with physical, emotional, and psychological symptoms during the luteal phase. Both drug and non-drug treatments exist, though only some have strong clinical evidence. Review, 2023 Does homoeopathy help PMS? The abstract does not provide research findings about homoeopathy or treatment effectiveness for PMS. Lab study, 2023 Does Xiangshao granules reduce irritability and anxiety in PMDD? In rats with PMDD-like symptoms, Xiangshao granules reduced aggressive and anxiety-like behaviors and improved social skills. This was only tested in animals, not in women. Randomised trial, 2022 Does a B6 supplement with herbs help sleep and anxiety in PMS and menopause? Yes, the supplement improved sleep problems by 46.6% and anxiety by 23.2% in women with PMS and those in menopause transition. Survey study, 2022 What diet and stress factors are linked to PMS in teenage girls? High calorie foods, herbal teas, and higher stress levels are linked to PMS and PMDD. Getting adequate sleep, eating regular meals, avoiding fast food, and managing stress may help reduce PMS symptoms. Survey study, 2022 Did COVID-19 infection change women's menstrual cycles? More than three-quarters of women reported changes to their menstrual cycles during the COVID-19 pandemic, including changes in cycle length, bleeding duration, or premenstrual symptoms. Survey study, 2022 Is brain visual processing different in people with PMDD? Yes. Women with PMDD showed abnormal patterns in how their visual brain responded to stimuli, especially during the luteal phase, suggesting an imbalance between brain excitation and inhibition. Review, 2022 What causes PMDD and what are the best treatments? PMDD is caused by hormonal changes in estrogen and progesterone that lower serotonin levels. Antidepressants called SSRIs are the most effective treatment, working faster for PMDD than for depression, and women don't necessarily need to take them daily. Case report, 2022 Does sertraline help women with severe premenstrual dysphoric disorder? In this case, a 44-year-old woman with severe PMDD symptoms showed complete recovery after taking sertraline for two menstrual cycles, and was able to continue taking it just during the week before menstruation. Survey study, 2022 Which premenstrual symptoms are linked to the personality trait neuroticism? Only difficulty concentrating and loss of interest were significantly associated with neuroticism. Mood symptoms like depression, anxiety, anger, and mood swings were not significantly associated. Survey study, 2022 Is stress linked to irregular menstrual cycles? Yes, there's a clear link. People with high stress were more likely to have irregular cycles, and irregular cycles were strongly associated with high stress levels. Case-control study, 2022 Do women with PMS show different brain activity when viewing sad images compared to women without PMS? Yes, a clear difference. Women with PMS showed stronger activation in visual processing and cerebellum areas but weaker activation in emotion regulation and decision-making areas compared to controls. Survey study, 2022 Does a brain chemical called BDNF predict mood changes in perimenopausal women with depression? Yes. Women with perimenopausal depression who had higher BDNF levels had worse mood symptoms, which differs from typical depression patterns. Case-control study, 2022 Does cognitive function decline in women with PMS, and can brain imaging detect it? Women with PMS showed significantly lower correct responses on harder cognitive tasks and reduced brain activation during the luteal phase compared to women without PMS, which could be detected with brain imaging. The decline was linked to worsening mood. Survey study, 2022 Does exercise help with PMS symptoms? Probably yes. Most of the studies reviewed found that being physically active is linked to fewer or milder PMS symptoms, though a couple of studies found the opposite. Survey study, 2022 Is body weight linked to PMS in teenage girls? Yes. Girls with low body weight had more PMS than girls with normal weight. Improving nutrition may help reduce symptoms. Survey study, 2022 How common is PMS in medical students and what are the main symptoms? 18.9% of medical students had PMS. Anxiety before the period (78.8%) and stomach pain during the period (72.2%) were the most common complaints. Students who started menstruating earlier were more likely to have PMS. Review, 2022 Does mood and anxiety worsen during menstruation? Yes. Psychiatric disorders occur during menstruation in up to 80% of women and can affect menstrual health, fertility, and sexual function. Case report, 2022 Does Punarnavadi Guggulu help PMS? One woman with severe PMS reported complete relief of her symptoms after taking Punarnavadi Guggulu, an Ayurvedic herbal combination. However, this is based on just one case. Survey study, 2022 What causes PMDD symptoms and how can they be treated? Low progesterone is linked to PMDD symptoms. A medication called allopregnanolone and certain foods may help reduce symptoms. Survey study, 2022 Does stress increase the risk of PMS in midwifery students? Yes, stress significantly increased PMS in these students (p=0.000). Survey study, 2022 Are calcium and magnesium levels lower in women with PMS during the luteal phase? Yes. This small study found that both calcium and magnesium were significantly lower in women with PMS during the luteal phase, though calcium mostly stayed within the normal range. Survey study, 2022 What do health college students believe about PMS and how do they cope with it? We cannot say, because the available summary only describes the survey tools used and does not report the actual results on beliefs or coping strategies. Survey study, 2022 Do omega-3, body weight, and stress affect PMS severity? Yes. In this study, omega-3 intake, healthy weight, and lower stress were all linked to milder PMS. However, the study was small and only looked at one moment in time in one region, so we cannot confirm these factors cause the difference. Survey study, 2022 Is prostaglandin (a body chemical) linked to PMS in teenage girls? Yes. Prostaglandin F2α levels were linked to PMS severity in this study of 50 students. However, the study was small and only looked at one moment in time, so we do not know whether measuring this chemical helps us understand or treat PMS. Survey study, 2022 Is nutritional status linked to premenstrual syndrome? Yes, there was a clear connection between nutritional status and higher rates of PMS in these students. However, the study was small, so these findings need testing in larger groups before we can be confident they apply to all women. Survey study, 2022 How does premenstrual syndrome affect the quality of life of working women? Working women with PMS had decreased quality of life in their professional and personal lives. PMS significantly influenced their daily activities at work and at home. Study, 2022 Can changes in emotion recognition predict PMDD risk? Yes. Women who showed changes in how they recognized emotions at different cycle phases were more likely to have PMDD. Of 16 women with emotion recognition changes, 7 had PMDD. Of 22 women without emotion changes, only 2 had PMDD. Study, 2022 What are the characteristics of teenagers with PMS? In a group of 34 grade 12 students with PMS, most were 17 years old, had started their period between ages 13-15, had longer periods lasting 7 or more days, and changed pads 3 or more times per day. Review, 2022 Can melatonin help with premenstrual syndrome symptoms? Melatonin appears safe and might help with PMS symptoms like sleep problems and low mood, but researchers say more rigorous studies are needed before it can be recommended. Survey study, 2022 Does COVID-19 infection change women's menstrual cycles? Two-thirds of women's cycles stayed the same after COVID-19 infection, but one-third reported changes including altered bleeding or cycle length. These changes appeared to be temporary. Survey study, 2022 What factors make PMS mood swings worse? Stress, gynecological conditions like endometriosis and PCOS, and family history of bipolar disorder can worsen PMS. About two-thirds of women (67.4%) reported PMS and a quarter (25.6%) had PMDD. Survey study, 2022 Does a girl's relationship with her mother affect her PMS symptoms? Yes. Girls whose mothers had lower education had more severe PMS symptoms. Girls with moderate relationships with their mothers reported more shame about menstruation. Study, 2022 How does traditional Chinese medicine work to treat PMS and PMDD? Research found that certain herbal treatments are commonly used for PMS and PMDD, and they work through multiple pathways in the body. However, this was a theoretical study, not a test of whether they actually work. Survey study, 2022 Does being overweight increase the risk of PMS? Yes. Overweight women are about 8 times more likely to have PMS than non-overweight women. Survey study, 2022 What makes teenage girls adopt behaviours to prevent PMS? Girls who believe they are at risk of PMS, believe they can prevent it, and see few barriers to prevention are more likely to adopt preventive behaviours. These factors predict about one-third of behaviour change. Survey study, 2022 How common is severe premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)? About 16% of women have PMDD. It significantly affects various aspects of their life and is often dismissed by others. Study, 2022 Why do women get PMS and PMDD? PMS and PMDD happen because the brain responds very sensitively to normal changes in estrogen and progesterone during the menstrual cycle. Several brain systems control mood and are affected. Study, 2022 What are the symptoms, causes, and treatments of PMS and PMDD? PMS affects 20-40% of menstruating women and causes fatigue, mood changes, and bloating. PMDD is less common but more severe. Possible causes involve hormone changes and brain chemistry. Treatments include lifestyle changes and medications. Survey study, 2022 How common is PMS in university students and what helps them cope with symptoms? PMS was very common in this group. Most students coped by resting (67.6%) or sleeping (60.7%). Several menstrual and personal factors were linked to higher PMS risk, including family history, heavy periods, and starting menstruation early. Survey study, 2022 Do brain wave patterns differ across the menstrual cycle in women with PMS? Yes, women with high PMS show a specific brain wave pattern (higher delta/beta power ratio) during the late luteal phase compared to the follicular phase. Women with low PMS do not show this pattern. Survey study, 2022 How common is premenstrual tension in adolescent girls? Most adolescent girls experience mild to moderate premenstrual tension syndrome. Family background like mother's education and father's job appear to be related to symptom levels. Survey study, 2022 How common and severe is PMS among young women in India? In this study, around a quarter to a third of young women had PMS symptoms ranging from mild to severe, with mood and behaviour changes affected most. Survey study, 2022 What problems do young teenage girls experience during their period? Most experience body pain, leg pain, and headaches. Many also have mood changes, irritability, and stress. Some lack privacy or face restrictions. Survey study, 2022 Is stress about puberty and menstruation linked to depression and anxiety in adolescent girls? Yes. Stress related to menstruation and puberty was linked to depression, anxiety, and reproductive tract infections in adolescent girls in Tanzania. Survey study, 2022 Did fear of COVID-19 affect premenstrual symptoms in university students? Women with higher fear of COVID-19 had worse PMS symptoms, especially if the pandemic changed their menstrual cycles. This shows an association but doesn't prove fear caused worse PMS. Survey study, 2022 Is stress during menstruation related to menstrual cycle regularity? There is a weak negative relationship between stress during menstruation and menstrual cycle length, meaning higher stress is slightly associated with shorter cycles. Study, 2022 Is there higher DNA damage from oxidative stress before your period if you have PMS or PMDD? Yes. Women with moderate-to-severe PMS or PMDD showed higher DNA damage markers before their period than after, and had higher levels compared to women without or with mild PMS symptoms. Non-randomised trial, 2022 Does a young women's class reduce PMS anxiety in teenage girls? Yes. Teenage girls who attended a young women's class with stress management and yoga exercises showed a mean anxiety reduction of 5.94 compared to 0.97 in the control group. Survey study, 2022 Did COVID-19 increase PMS symptoms in female doctors? Yes. Female doctors showed more PMS and PMDD symptoms during the pandemic, linked to psychological stress. Front-line workers had worse symptoms. Interview study, 2022 Does menstruation or PMS affect women's participation in adventurous activities? Yes, 89% of women said menstruation or PMS affects their participation. Main barriers are practical challenges with hygiene and emotional concerns about missing out. Survey study, 2022 Does PMS and painful periods affect students' ability to study? Yes, PMS and period pain were very common and most students reported they impaired concentration and studying. This is a small survey without a control group. Survey study, 2022 Does how women cope with PMS affect how they feel about menstruation? Yes. Active coping methods like exercise and relaxation help reduce negative effects on attitudes about menstruation. Passive coping like trying to accept changes did not help as much. Study, 2022 What is the difference between PMS and PMDD? PMDD is more serious than PMS, with stronger depression, anxiety, and irritability that happens in the week or two before a period when hormones drop. Survey study, 2022 Does physical activity or sleep quality help reduce PMS? Better sleep quality may help reduce PMS, but physical activity did not show a clear link in this study. This very small study of 33 women cannot provide reliable answers. Survey study, 2022 Are unhealthy diet and stress linked to premenstrual syndrome in teenage girls? Yes. Teenage girls who consumed more fatty foods, sweet foods, sweet drinks, salty foods, and fast food, and those with higher stress levels, all had significantly higher rates of PMS. Survey study, 2021 Does teaching about PMS and coping strategies increase knowledge? Yes. After a structured teaching program, 88% of adolescent girls had adequate knowledge about PMS and coping strategies, compared to only 10% before the program. Survey study, 2021 Do cells from women with PMDD respond differently to estrogen? Yes, cells from women with PMDD show different genetic responses to estrogen and altered responses to cellular stress. This may explain why these women are sensitive to hormone changes. Survey study, 2021 Is PMS linked to difficulty making decisions and solving problems? Yes. Women with PMS were more likely to be indecisive, impulsive, and avoid problems when faced with decisions. Survey study, 2021 Do women with PMS have different heart rate and blood pressure responses? Yes. During the week before the period, women with PMS showed a clear increase in heart rate and blood pressure responses compared to women without PMS. Survey study, 2021 Is premenstrual syndrome linked to depression in female university students? Yes. Women with PMS had 70 times higher odds of depression compared to those without PMS. This cross-sectional study cannot prove whether PMS causes depression or depression causes PMS symptoms. Study, 2021 What changes happen in the brains of people with PMS? Multiple brain areas show different activity in women with PMS compared to women without it, particularly in areas that process emotions and visual information. Survey study, 2021 Is body weight linked to PMS? Body weight showed almost no connection to PMS in this study of 100 medical students. We cannot be sure because the study is small and limited to one college. Non-randomised trial, 2021 Does teaching young women about PMS improve their knowledge? Yes. Seven young women who received PMS education significantly increased their knowledge (p=0.000). Survey study, 2021 Does what elite young female athletes eat affect their menstrual cycles? Yes. Athletes who ate enough carbohydrates did not have menstrual problems. This suggests that adequate calories and carbohydrates may help maintain regular periods. Case report, 2021 Can dydrogesterone help period pain, irregular cycles, PMS, and pregnancy loss, not just menopause? This review of past evidence, together with an account of one woman's care, suggests dydrogesterone may help with these conditions, but it does not report new trial results of its own. Survey study, 2021 Do diet, exercise, and stress affect menstrual cycle problems? Yes. Women with poor diet, lack of exercise, and high stress had more menstrual problems. But this study is observational so we cannot prove these factors cause the problems. Interview study, 2021 How does the menstrual cycle affect elite athletes' training and competition? Elite athletes with natural menstrual cycles reported physical symptoms, mood changes, and reduced motivation to train. Many chose to control their cycle to reduce its effects on competition. Survey study, 2021 What factors are related to premenstrual syndrome in high school students? Stress level, nutritional status, family history, and sleep patterns were all significantly linked to PMS. Age at first menstruation was not. This was a small observational study. Survey study, 2021 How common are PMS and PMDD in female students with mental disability? About 7% experienced PMS symptoms and 8% experienced PMDD symptoms. Most needed help and information about menstruation. Survey study, 2021 Does the menstrual cycle or birth control affect sleep and memory? All women improved their memory overnight. Women on birth control and in the luteal phase had more of a certain type of sleep brain wave compared to women in the follicular phase, and this brain wave was linked to higher progesterone levels. Survey study, 2021 Does moderate physical activity during menstruation reduce PMS symptoms? Women who stay moderately active throughout their menstrual cycle, including during menstruation, have fewer PMS symptoms than inactive women. Activity does not affect cycle regularity, how long you bleed, or menstrual pain. Survey study, 2021 Can barley and chrysanthemum extract reduce PMS symptoms? In laboratory tests and mice, this extract reduced prolactin and inflammation markers, which could help PMS, but human studies have not been done. We cannot say yet whether it works in women. Study, 2021 Can online education about meditation help teenagers with premenstrual pain? Online education about meditation for premenstrual syndrome increased teenagers' knowledge and was well-received, but this study did not measure whether actual pain decreased. Survey study, 2021 Do disordered eating symptoms change across the phases of the menstrual cycle? This study tracked several types of disordered eating every day for a full cycle to see if they differ between cycle phases, after accounting for body weight and mood, but the actual results of that comparison are not given in the information available, so no clear answer can be reported here. Survey study, 2021 Does anxiety change during different phases of the menstrual cycle? Yes, significantly. Most women reported anxiety before menstruation, much fewer reported it during and after menstruation. Survey study, 2021 How common are menstrual problems in adolescent girls? Very common. 73.6% of girls had painful periods, 13.5% had moderate to severe PMS, 12.5% had irregular periods, 8.4% had heavy periods, and 6.2% had PMDD. Survey study, 2021 Can obsessive-compulsive symptoms start or get worse during menstruation only? One woman with a history of panic disorder developed obsessive-compulsive symptoms that occurred only during her menstrual period. Since this is just one case, we cannot know how common this is. Survey study, 2021 Do immune system markers relate to hostility or depression in the premenstrual phase? Paranoid hostility was linked to higher inflammatory markers during the premenstrual phase, but depression symptoms were not linked to these markers. Non-randomised trial, 2021 Does health education increase teenagers' knowledge about PMS? Yes. Teenagers who received health education showed an increase in PMS knowledge. We do not know whether their behaviors or symptoms changed. Study, 2021 Can education help teenage girls manage mood changes during their period? Researchers provided education about PMS to teenage girls to help them understand and manage mood changes, but the study does not report whether it actually improved their symptoms. Survey study, 2021 Does COVID-19 stress and social isolation cause changes in the menstrual cycle? While women reported stress from financial worries and health concerns, there was not enough evidence that social distancing during COVID-19 actually caused menstrual changes. Randomised trial, 2021 Do women with depression or bipolar disorder experience worse symptoms before or during their menstrual cycle? About 60% of women with mood disorders report premenstrual worsening of symptoms, which predicts worse disease overall. Current PMDD treatments work less well or not at all for this problem, and more research is needed to understand what helps. Case-control study, 2021 Do women with PMS have different cortisol levels and patterns? Women with PMS may have higher stress-related cortisol levels and delayed patterns. Many studies are small with limited power, so conclusions are tentative. Survey study, 2021 How common is PMS in teenage girls, and what raises the risk? Around 1 in 3 adolescent girls in this Indian study had PMS, and risk was higher with older age, certain education levels, educated or working mothers, and irregular periods. Survey study, 2021 Does premenstrual tension syndrome affect how well a woman's family functions? Yes, in this study premenstrual tension syndrome was very common among female university students, and the more severe it was, the more likely their family was to be dysfunctional. Survey study, 2021 How common is PMS among nurses and does it affect their job performance? Just over half of nurses (52.0%) had PMS. Those with PMS had significantly worse daily job performance. The evidence is clear, but the study only looked at nurses in one location in Saudi Arabia. Survey study, 2021 Does the menstrual cycle affect women's social behavior and anxiety? Women in the luteal phase (when progesterone is high) reported being more sensitive to others' feedback, feeling more anxious with other people, and preferring to cooperate. These changes did not appear in the follicular phase. Survey study, 2021 Do women with PMDD use more cannabis premenstrually to cope with mood symptoms? Yes, women with PMDD use more cannabis premenstrually and menstrually, driven by depressed mood and a desire to cope with negative feelings. Women with PMDD used significantly more cannabis overall than those without PMDD. Study, 2021 Does the point in the menstrual cycle change mood, anxiety and exercise performance in active women? It made a small difference to aerobic fitness and to how exercise affected depression, but most other measures of mood, anxiety and performance did not clearly differ between cycle phases. Review, 2021 How does the menstrual cycle affect anxiety and PTSD symptoms? The menstrual cycle and its hormones affect anxiety and PTSD symptoms. The clearest finding is premenstrual worsening of anxiety, and estradiol may help with trauma memory processing. Survey study, 2021 Does PMS affect jump performance in female athletes? Female athletes with breast tenderness (a PMS symptom) showed reduced jump height during the luteal phase compared to those without this symptom. Overall, there were no major differences in jump performance across the menstrual cycle. Survey study, 2021 How do coping strategies affect mood across the menstrual cycle in women trying to conceive? Active coping and behavioral engagement reduced evening depression during menstruation. But seeking social support increased anxiety and reduced emotional quality of life, and using fertility monitoring techniques also increased anxiety. Survey study, 2021 What are the research trends in PMS and PMDD studies from 1945 to 2018? Research on PMS and PMDD has grown over time. Recent research increasingly focuses on prevalence in young women and how anxiety and depression relate to menstrual cycle phases. Cohort study, 2021 Did the COVID-19 pandemic affect women's periods and anxiety levels? Yes. During the pandemic in May 2020, women reported shorter periods with fewer pads needed. Higher anxiety scores were linked to worse menstrual symptoms. Case report, 2020 Can PMDD be mistaken for bipolar disorder? Yes. PMDD and bipolar disorder have similar mood symptoms, which can lead to wrong diagnosis and treatment. A woman given lithium for bipolar disorder stayed sick, but recovered when she started antidepressant medication, which is the correct treatment for PMDD. Case report, 2020 Does Ayurvedic medicine help women with PMS? One 18-year-old woman with PMS was treated with Ayurvedic herbs and lifestyle advice for 15 days. Survey study, 2020 What do adolescent girls know and do about premenstrual syndrome? Most had average knowledge and good practices. Most learned about PMS from family rather than health professionals. Study, 2020 Can teaching about lifestyle changes help adolescents understand how to prevent PMS? The abstract describes the study design but does not report whether the teaching program actually changed knowledge or attitudes about PMS prevention. Survey study, 2020 Does the menstrual cycle affect thinking, memory, or concentration, especially in women with PMS or PMDD? Research has produced mixed results with no clear consistent findings. It remains unclear whether any cognitive changes come from hormonal changes or from mood and psychological symptoms of PMS and PMDD. Survey study, 2020 Do smartphones affect menstrual symptoms in young women? Women who started using smartphones regularly reported more fatigue and headaches during menstruation, and more irritability and depression before their period. The study was observational so it cannot prove smartphones caused these changes. Study, 2020 Does how women control disgust change during the menstrual cycle? In the follicular phase, suppressing disgust worked better than rethinking it. In the luteal phase, both strategies produced similar results. Survey study, 2020 Are depression, fatigue, and low body esteem linked to premenstrual symptoms? Yes. All three factors were significantly linked to premenstrual symptoms. Depression, menstrual cycle irregularity, menstrual pain, and low body esteem together explained 41% of variation in symptoms. Survey study, 2020 How do pandemic stress and sleep problems affect menstrual cycles and PMS? During lockdown, changes in sleep affected when menstrual cycles started in all women studied. High stress combined with poor sleep was linked to menstrual irregularity and worse PMS. Survey study, 2020 Can teaching about yoga techniques improve girls' knowledge about managing PMS? Yes. After the teaching program, girls' knowledge about using yoga for PMS increased significantly, with post-test scores more than double the pre-test scores. Study, 2020 Can autism be newly recognized in a young woman at college who is also struggling with distress and anxiety? In this single case, yes. A woman being treated for distress and anxiety was also found to meet criteria for autism spectrum disorder. One case cannot show how often this happens or whether it would help everyone. Survey study, 2020 Does the relationship between mood and alcohol drinking change depending on progesterone levels? Women were more likely to drink on days when mood was negative and progesterone was falling. Women with consistently lower mood throughout the cycle did not show this pattern and were more likely to drink regardless of progesterone changes. Survey study, 2020 Is a variation in the BDNF gene associated with premenstrual syndrome? No significant association was found between BDNF gene variations and PMS in young girls, so this gene may not play a role in PMS. Review, 2020 Do hormonal contraceptives cause depression? The link between hormonal contraceptives and depression is still debated. Women with a history of mood disorders or PMDD are at higher risk of mood effects, and adolescence appears to be a critical vulnerable period. Interview study, 2020 How does the menstrual cycle affect female elite athletes? Most athletes reported menstrual symptoms that they felt harmed their performance. Two-thirds took medication to try to feel better during their cycle. Study, 2020 How should healthcare providers manage menstrual problems in girls with disabilities? Providers should take detailed histories from both the patient and caregivers to understand how menstrual symptoms affect quality of life. Treatment goals should focus on reducing menstrual flow, reducing period pain, and managing cyclical symptoms based on each girl's needs. Study, 2020 Does heavy physical activity affect menstrual cycles? Heavy-intensity physical activity can disrupt menstrual cycles and cause problems including missed periods, bone loss, and irregular bleeding. Cohort study, 2020 How does the menstrual cycle affect mood and seizures in women with epilepsy? Women with epilepsy experienced mood changes and more seizures during the early follicular phase, not the typical late luteal phase. This suggests they have a different menstrual-related symptom pattern. Survey study, 2020 Does the ability to move eyes quickly change across the menstrual cycle? Yes. Eye movements were significantly slower during the luteal phase (the second half of the cycle) compared to the follicular phase (the first half). This suggests hormone changes affect brain chemistry linked to mood disorders. Non-randomised trial, 2020 Does meditation reduce premenstrual pain in teenage girls? Yes. Meditation reduced premenstrual pain by an average of 5 points (p=0.0001). Survey study, 2020 What are the most common PMS symptoms and how much do they disrupt daily life? Painful periods affected 63% of women and 40% said their routine was disrupted during their period. However, the study was in one community in Pakistan and only recorded current symptoms, not tracked changes over time. Survey study, 2020 Do sleep and emotion regulation explain why depression is linked to worse premenstrual symptoms? Yes, both poor sleep and difficulty regulating emotions partly explain why women with depression also experience more severe premenstrual symptoms. These factors appear to mediate the connection between mood problems and menstrual cycle symptoms. Survey study, 2020 Do negative attitudes about menstruation and suggestibility predict worse PMS pain and distress? Yes. Women with more negative attitudes about menstruation and higher suggestibility had significantly greater pain intensity and higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Randomised trial, 2020 How should premenstrual syndrome be diagnosed and treated? PMS is diagnosed by tracking cyclical symptoms that appear 2-14 days before menstruation and disappear when menstruation starts. Both hormonal treatments like birth control pills and non-hormonal treatments like Vitex extract have been shown in research to be effective. Survey study, 2020 How common are premenstrual symptoms in secondary school students? Very common: 82.5% had mood swings or nervousness and 80.1% had fatigue. Educational level and age were associated with symptom severity. Survey study, 2020 How common is PMDD among secondary school students in Ethiopia? 76.9% of students reported PMDD symptoms. But only 7.4% had experienced symptoms for three or more consecutive cycles, which is needed for an actual diagnosis. 13.1% had a family history of these symptoms. Survey study, 2020 How common is PMS in female college students and does it affect their quality of life? PMS was found in 60.8% of nursing students. All areas of quality of life were significantly affected in those with PMS. Survey study, 2020 Does penguin exercise reduce anxiety in girls with premenstrual syndrome? Girls who did penguin exercise showed a clear difference in anxiety levels, while girls in the control group showed no change. This suggests penguin exercise may help reduce anxiety during PMS. Survey study, 2020 Does menstrual cycle affect balance and position sense in women with multiple sclerosis? In the early follicular phase, pain was linked to how well women could sense their knee position. The study was very small and had no comparison group, so results are uncertain. Survey study, 2020 Does worry about health change how stressed women feel at different times in their menstrual cycle? Women with higher worry about health reported more stress during the late luteal phase. This worry did not change whether they experienced more premenstrual symptoms overall. Cohort study, 2020 Are immune and oxidative stress markers linked to menstrual cycle symptoms? Certain markers related to antioxidant defenses and immune function may play a role in menstrual cycle symptoms, though this isn't due to general inflammation. However, this is a small study with no control group, so the findings need confirmation. Interview study, 2020 Does the menstrual cycle phase affect athletic performance and decision-making? Yes. Physical performance was better during the menstrual phase than other phases of the cycle. How impulsive athletes were varied by cycle phase, but risk-taking did not. Athletes on birth control pills showed larger performance changes. Survey study, 2020 How is premenstrual dysphoric disorder different from premenstrual syndrome, and what treatment helps? PMDD is more severe than PMS and causes real disability in daily life, affecting fewer women. SSRIs are described as working well, sometimes with progestogens added. This is based on one patient case and a review of past research, not a trial, so certainty is low. Interview study, 2020 What is it like for women to be diagnosed with PMDD? Many women described feeling broken and misunderstood for years before being diagnosed, and getting an accurate PMDD diagnosis was often life-changing, though coping with it afterward still brought challenges. Cohort study, 2019 What factors cause PMS in women of reproductive age? Age was the main factor, explaining 90.3% of PMS cases. Other factors linked to PMS were higher parity, older age, poor nutrition, and less exercise. Non-randomised trial, 2019 Does starting or stopping birth control pills change premenstrual symptoms? Starting birth control pills reduced physical PMS symptoms but had no effect on mood symptoms. Stopping the pills did not change either type of symptom. Survey study, 2019 What are the best ways to manage PMS? PMS is managed in four steps: create awareness and make lifestyle changes, then offer therapy and complementary treatments, then medication if needed, and rarely surgery. This summarizes international guidelines but doesn't show strong evidence about which approach works best. Non-randomised trial, 2019 Does an education program help nursing students with PMS improve knowledge and reduce symptoms? Yes. The education program clearly increased knowledge and reduced PMS symptoms. Students also lost weight, dropping from an average of 77.4 kg to 68.89 kg. Survey study, 2019 What factors affect PMS severity in teenage girls? Sleep patterns, stress, attitudes about menstruation, and limiting exposure to chemicals all affected PMS severity. Together these factors explained 37% of the differences in PMS severity. Survey study, 2019 Why might depression develop when women stop breastfeeding? This review proposes that hormonal changes during weaning may trigger depression in some women. A brain chemical normally calming anxiety may work differently during weaning, worsening mood instead. Survey study, 2019 What helps improve quality of life for teenagers with menstrual problems? Exercise, TENS therapy, medication, and counseling all help. Family support and age also matter. Multiple approaches work, not just medication. Review, 2019 What do we know about PMS and heavy periods in teenage girls, and can diet help? This is a review article that summarizes what we know about PMS and heavy periods in teenagers. It includes discussion of diet therapy but does not report new research findings. Survey study, 2019 Is negative mood during the menstrual cycle linked to what women eat? Yes. Women with higher negative mood during menstruation drank more tea, black coffee, and carbonated drinks. Women with higher negative mood before their period ate more bananas and red Chinese dates. Lab study, 2019 Does menstrual cycle phase affect how women look at emotional images? During the luteal phase, women's eyes were drawn to important parts of emotional images faster than during the follicular phase. Women in the luteal phase also looked away from disgusting images sooner, suggesting heightened disgust sensitivity. Cohort study, 2019 Why should psychologists research and treat premenstrual disorders more? Premenstrual disorders are real conditions linked to hormone sensitivity that psychologists are well-trained to study and treat. This article provides guidance for increasing psychology involvement in this field. Study, 2019 What treatments are available for PMS? Mild PMS can be treated with lifestyle changes like good sleep and exercise, or with therapy approaches. More severe PMS may need medication or in rare cases surgery. Survey study, 2019 Does stress from studying medicine make PMS worse? Medical students had higher PMS scores than non-medical students (93.791 vs 88.473), suggesting stress may worsen PMS. Both groups scored above the PMS threshold. Without a control group, we cannot be certain stress is the cause. Case-control study, 2019 Does inflammation affect mood in women with PMS? In female soccer players, those with PMS had higher levels of inflammatory markers and reported more depression and tension at certain cycle phases compared to those without PMS. Survey study, 2019 How common is premenstrual syndrome in female university students and how much does it affect them? About 1 in 5 female students (18%) had PMS. Among those with PMS, 75% had stopped studying, showing how severe it can be. Survey study, 2019 How common is PMS among college students and does it affect their quality of life? PMS affects 62.7% of college students studied and reduces quality of life across physical, mental, social, and environmental domains. Study, 2019 Can diet help prevent or reduce PMS symptoms? Diet appears to play a role in PMS. Getting enough vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates may help reduce symptoms, while skipping meals and eating junk food may make symptoms worse. Cohort study, 2019 Is there a link between menstrual symptoms and anxiety, depression, and stress in teenage girls? Yes. There was a strong correlation between menstrual distress and depression, anxiety, and stress, with distress significantly higher before, during, and after menstruation (p=0.000). Non-randomised trial, 2019 Does cinnamon and ginger combined with exercise help reduce PMS and period pain symptoms? The provided abstract does not include the results section, so this study cannot be properly summarized. Survey study, 2019 Does the menstrual cycle affect gut bacteria and immune response related to PMS? Yes. Antibody levels to gut bacteria change throughout the cycle, peaking at day 28, and these changes are linked to physical symptoms like bloating, anxiety, and breast swelling but not depression. Progesterone appears to drive these changes. Survey study, 2019 How common is PMS in female operating room technologists? The study aimed to find how common PMS is in female operating room technologists and what factors influence it, but the results are not provided in this abstract. Case report, 2018 Can mood and psychotic symptoms happen before the period in women with PCOS? Yes. One young woman with PCOS experienced three episodes of mixed mood and psychotic symptoms before her period. This is very rare. Survey study, 2018 How common are PMS and PMDD among medical students in South India? Of 635 medical students surveyed, 177 had PMS and 88 had PMDD. The most common symptoms were anger or irritability, feeling tearful or overly sensitive, and fatigue or lack of energy. Interview study, 2018 Can a tracking tool help monitor how menstruation affects mental health? The article proposes a tool that could help track the link between the premenstrual phase and mental health problems. The article does not test whether the tool actually works in practice. Study, 2018 Does acupuncture at a specific point change brain activity in women with PMS? Yes, acupuncture at the SP6 point changed activity in several brain regions. It is unclear whether these changes help with PMS symptoms. Case report, 2018 Can medication stop psychotic symptoms that come every month with your period? Yes. A young woman with psychotic and mood symptoms during every menstrual cycle improved significantly with treatment using two medications combined with psychiatric and medical care. Survey study, 2018 How does intense karate training affect the menstrual cycle in young female athletes? Most young karate athletes had menstrual disruptions like PMS or painful periods, likely caused by intense training. Survey study, 2018 How common is PMS among female university students in Nigeria? Very common. In this study, 42.9% of students met the criteria for PMS, and almost half of those (47.6%) had severe PMS or PMDD. Survey study, 2018 How aware are men of what PMS is and how it affects their partners? This abstract only describes the background and purpose of the study; it does not give the actual results on men's awareness, attitude, or behavior regarding PMS. Survey study, 2018 Do women's reasons for drinking alcohol change across their menstrual cycle? Yes. Women drink to cope with negative emotions more during menstruation and for social reasons more throughout their cycle. These changes predict how much alcohol women drink. Study, 2018 What does traditional Unani medicine teach about treating PMS? This article reviews traditional Unani medicine approaches to PMS, but doesn't report on any research study testing whether they work. Non-randomised trial, 2018 Does eating food with isoflavones reduce premenstrual syndrome? In this small study, eating food with 68mg of isoflavones per day reduced PMS complaints. However, there was no control group, so we cannot be sure the food alone caused the improvement. Study, 2018 Does aggression change during the menstrual cycle in borderline personality disorder? Yes, different types of aggression change at different times in the cycle. Reactive aggression was highest during the days around the period, while a different type of aggression (proactive) was highest during other parts of the cycle. Cohort study, 2018 Do sexually transmitted infections make premenstrual symptoms worse? Possibly. Before diagnosis, undiagnosed STIs predicted about 2-fold increased odds of headache, cramps, and sadness during the late luteal phase. After treatment, emotional symptoms improved. Randomised trial, 2018 Does an oral contraceptive with drospirenone reduce premenstrual worsening of Meniere's disease? Yes. The oral contraceptive combined with rehabilitation significantly improved dizziness and balance over 6 months, with the contraceptive group showing much better symptom improvement than rehabilitation alone. Randomised trial, 2018 How do progesterone metabolites affect PMDD symptoms? Women with PMDD respond differently to these natural brain chemicals. Blocking one type may reduce negative mood symptoms, but this summary is incomplete. Lab study, 2018 Does menstrual cycle phase affect how the brain responds to money rewards in women with depression? Women with depression symptoms showed a weaker brain response to money gains during the luteal phase than during the follicular phase, while women without depression showed no such change. Greater fluctuation across cycle phases was linked to higher depression symptoms. Survey study, 2018 Do difficulties handling emotions affect premenstrual symptom severity? Yes. Women who act impulsively when upset had worse premenstrual symptoms. Women who ruminate (think repetitively about problems) had symptoms that increased faster before their period and improved more slowly afterward. Survey study, 2018 Does estrogen affect anxiety and mood problems in PMDD, and does a woman's genes play a role? In women with PMDD, higher estrogen before the period was linked to lower anxiety and stress, but only in women carrying a specific genetic variant. This shows correlation in this subset and cannot confirm cause and effect. Non-randomised trial, 2018 Does estradiol hormone level affect how the brain responds to sexual content? Higher estradiol during fertile phases may make the brain more responsive to erotic words, but this very small study cannot confirm this effect. Survey study, 2018 Does a girl's weight and magnesium intake affect whether she gets PMS? Yes. Girls who were overweight and girls who did not eat enough magnesium were more likely to have PMS. Survey study, 2018 Do women who attempt suicide experience more menstruation-related problems? More than half of women who attempted suicide reported premenstrual distress symptoms for two menstrual cycles. The study cannot prove menstrual problems caused suicide attempts, but suggests a possible connection. Case report, 2018 Can psychotic symptoms happen only during and just after menstruation? Yes, in this case a woman had psychotic symptoms including hallucinations and paranoia that started with her period and went away about 10 days later. This pattern repeated every menstrual cycle for 7 years. Very few cases like this have been reported. Survey study, 2018 Do autistic women experience menstruation differently from non-autistic women? Yes. Autistic women reported that menstruation made autistic challenges worse, especially sensory sensitivity and difficulty controlling emotions and behavior. This seriously affected their lives. Cohort study, 2018 How do hormone changes during your menstrual cycle affect symptoms? Sleep and headache symptoms tend to get worse around your period when hormones change most. When hormones fluctuate more throughout your cycle, mood problems and hot flashes worsen. Case-control study, 2018 Does a rare neurological disease affect menstrual patterns? Women with NMOSD do not have different menstrual patterns than healthy women before the disease develops. After NMOSD starts, menstrual irregularities increase significantly. Cohort study, 2018 Do emotional and behavioral symptoms of borderline personality disorder get worse before menstruation? Most emotional symptoms appeared to get worse in the middle-to-late luteal phase and around menstruation, then improved in the follicular phase. However, the study was very small and included only unmedicated women without painful periods. Review, 2018 How should doctors diagnose and treat PMDD? This review explains that PMDD needs to be carefully told apart from other mental health conditions, and that antidepressants (SSRIs and SNRIs) are the recommended first treatment, with other options available if those don't work. Case report, 2018 Can severe head injury lead to PMDD? Yes. A 17-year-old girl developed PMDD months after a severe traumatic brain injury. She needed antipsychotic medication to manage her symptoms. Review, 2018 Is PMDD properly recognized and treated in Denmark? No. PMDD is often overlooked in Denmark despite being common. SSRIs (antidepressants) can treat PMDD when used only during the luteal phase rather than continuously, which differs from how they are typically prescribed for depression. Survey study, 2018 Do Asian and Caucasian women experience different PMS symptoms? Yes. Asian women reported significantly higher rates of mood swings, depression, food cravings, digestive problems, and menstrual cramps, and had shorter menstrual periods. Survey study, 2018 Do the PSST and DRSP questionnaires give the same PMS diagnosis? No, the two questionnaires gave very different results with poor agreement. The PSST is best used as a screening tool to identify possible cases that then need confirmation with the more thorough DRSP. Study, 2018 Does your menstrual cycle phase affect how your body responds to emotions? Yes, women show different heart rate and startle responses during the luteal phase compared to the follicular phase, especially when they have premenstrual symptoms. The effect was clearest when premenstrual symptoms were included in the analysis. Review, 2018 Can acoustic startle response help us understand how hormones affect PMDD? Possibly. Two types of acoustic startle response tests may help scientists understand how hormones affect PMDD, but most studies have not yet properly tested this. Survey study, 2018 Does regular aerobic exercise reduce premenstrual syndrome symptoms? Women who exercised regularly had significantly lower PMS symptom scores and fewer symptoms like water retention, negative mood, and poor concentration compared to sedentary women. However, this compares women with different exercise habits, not a controlled trial. Survey study, 2018 What is the best way to manage PMS? PMS needs a team approach including doctors, therapists, and nutritionists. Combining lifestyle changes, cognitive behavioural therapy, and medical treatments works better than a single approach. Study, 2018 Could oxidative stress be a cause of PMS? Researchers designed a study to test this question, but this abstract does not report what they found. Survey study, 2018 What types of PMS do midwifery students experience? Most midwifery students have multiple types of PMS at the same time. A combination of anxiety, water retention, cravings, and depression was the most common, affecting 76 of the 152 students studied. Interview study, 2018 What are young women's experiences and feelings about menstruation? Eight Iranian university students described menstruation as shameful, secret, and often painful. Many felt frightened and unprepared when menstruation started because they did not receive enough information from family or school. Interview study, 2017 How common and severe are premenstrual symptoms in young medical and nursing students? Premenstrual symptoms were extremely common, affecting 97.10% of students, and 76.83% met the criteria for PMS, but for most of them the symptoms were mild. Lab study, 2017 Do physical changes happen before menstruation? Yes. Before menstruation compared to after, women showed increased perceived stress, faster heart rate, higher blood pressure, weight gain, and slower reaction times. Survey study, 2017 How many adolescent girls have PMS and how severe is it? Most adolescent girls have some PMS: more than half (55%) have moderate symptoms and 19% have severe symptoms. Case report, 2017 Does Ayurvedic medicine help PMS? Yes. One 18-year-old woman's mood swings, irritability, and concentration problems were completely relieved after one month of Ayurvedic herbs and weekly therapy sessions. Survey study, 2017 Does cognitive-behavioral therapy or cognitive hypnosis help reduce depression in students with PMS? Both therapies reduced depression in students with PMS. Cognitive-behavioral therapy and cognitive hypnosis worked about equally well. Survey study, 2017 Are prolactin and beta-arrestin1 different in PMDD versus PMS? In women with PMDD and depression, beta-arrestin1 protein was reduced and prolactin was increased compared to those with PMS. These two changes were correlated. This is a tiny study and much more research is needed. Survey study, 2017 Does crying change during the menstrual cycle? Women feel more like crying during the premenstrual phase but do not actually cry more. The differences in feeling like crying were small but statistically significant. Randomised trial, 2017 What do we currently know about PMDD? PMDD is increasingly recognized as a serious diagnosis affecting 3-8% of women. We understand its symptoms and how to diagnose it, but we don't yet have enough high-quality research to recommend evidence-based treatments. Study, 2017 Do women with PMDD experience emotions differently than other women? Only women with PMDD showed important changes in how they experienced unpleasant emotions and anxiety. The ability to recognize emotions in faces also depended on whether the face was male or female. Survey study, 2017 Can diet help with PMS symptoms? Diet may affect PMS. High intake of tea, coffee, cola, alcohol, chocolate, and sugary snacks is linked to worse symptoms, while adequate milk and certain minerals may help. Survey study, 2017 Can we detect differences in how women's brains work during different parts of the menstrual cycle? Yes. Brain activity patterns are different during menstruation, the follicular phase, and the luteal phase, with 72-93% accuracy in detecting these differences depending on which phases are compared. Survey study, 2017 Do PMS symptoms form distinct patterns related to lifestyle factors? PMS occurs in four distinct patterns: Emotional, Psychological/Cognitive, Physical, and Consumption. Body weight and physical activity were associated with some of these patterns. Study, 2017 How is severe PMS (PMDD) diagnosed and what treatments do doctors recommend first? Doctors use specific symptoms to diagnose PMDD. Several treatment options exist, though some common supplements haven't been proven to help. Case report, 2017 Can mood symptoms like mania and psychosis change across the menstrual cycle in bipolar disorder? In one detailed case, yes: a woman with bipolar I disorder had psychosis-like symptoms when estrogen was low and hypomania when estrogen was high, and a targeted treatment approach for this pattern worked for her. Survey study, 2017 How much quality of life do women with untreated PMDD lose over their lifetime? Untreated PMDD causes an expected loss of about 3 years of quality-adjusted life over a woman's lifetime, accounting for pregnancy and menstruation-free periods. This is based on a preliminary survey of 66 untreated women. Survey study, 2017 Are vitamin D and magnesium levels lower in women with PMS than in women without it? Yes. Women with PMS had much lower vitamin D and somewhat lower magnesium levels than women without PMS, and the two measurements were positively linked. Study, 2017 Do women with moderate to severe PMS have problems with attention and memory? Yes. Women with moderate to severe PMS made more mistakes and had lower accuracy on attention and memory tests even though tests were done when they didn't have symptoms. Case-control study, 2017 Do women with PMS recognize facial emotions differently depending on their menstrual cycle? Women with PMS struggle more to recognize sad and surprised faces during the luteal phase. However, women without PMS also had trouble recognizing sad faces then, so this pattern is not unique to PMS. Survey study, 2017 Does your menstrual phase affect how well you remember things after sleep? Women remembered faces and names better than men before a nap. After the nap, women forgot more during their period week than during other times of their cycle. Randomised trial, 2017 Does yoga help with PMS symptoms? This text only gives the background and reasoning for a yoga trial. It does not include the trial's actual methods or results, so no answer about whether yoga worked can be given from this excerpt. Survey study, 2017 Does the menstrual cycle affect heart rate variability independent of diet, activity, and sleep? Heart rate does change across the menstrual cycle, but this change appears to be driven by differences in diet, activity, and sleep rather than by the cycle itself. Survey study, 2017 Does your menstrual cycle change how you recognize emotions on faces? Yes. In the late luteal phase before your period, women react more slowly to all emotional faces and show less brain response to happy faces. Review, 2017 How does the menstrual cycle affect mood and development, especially in adolescents? Menstrual cycle-related symptoms may trigger developmental challenges that worsen mood symptoms in adolescent girls and have long-term effects. Individual responses to hormones vary greatly, so each woman's experience differs. Randomised trial, 2017 Does adding birth control to antidepressants help depression that worsens before your period? Adding drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol to antidepressants did not significantly improve premenstrual depression better than placebo in this small study. Both groups improved similarly. Survey study, 2017 Is PMS linked to personality temperament types? No clear link was found between PMS and different temperament types in this study. Although some temperament types seemed to have more PMS, the overall pattern was not significant. Survey study, 2017 Does fear of period pain affect mood and thinking during the menstrual cycle? Yes. Women expecting severe period pain showed increased anxiety and depression and slower thinking response during the premenstrual phase, suggesting that fear of pain affects emotions and cognition. Survey study, 2017 Can women in the midluteal phase suppress their response to negative emotions as well as men? No. Women in the midluteal phase showed greater difficulty suppressing brain responses to negative emotions compared to men, and also reported more distress and effort when trying to suppress their responses. Randomised trial, 2016 Does blocking progesterone conversion help PMDD symptoms? A high dose of dutasteride reduced several PMDD symptoms by blocking conversion of progesterone to a hormone compound. However, only the high dose worked and the study was small. Survey study, 2016 What are the most common PMS symptoms and how much pain do women experience? Mood swings are the most common emotional symptom (35%) and belly pain the most common physical symptom (38%). Most women report mild pain. Survey study, 2016 Is physical activity linked to whether you have PMS? Yes, the study found a relationship between physical activity and PMS symptoms. However, this was a small study at one school, so results may not be certain or apply elsewhere. Survey study, 2016 Can a blood test tell PMDD apart from regular PMS? Possibly, but this is early lab research. Women with PMDD had lower beta-arrestin1 protein and higher testosterone than women with PMS, suggesting these might one day help with diagnosis, but it has not been tested as an actual diagnostic test. Study, 2016 What are the features of premenstrual syndrome and how is it treated? Premenstrual syndrome is a common disorder of young and middle-aged women with emotional and physical symptoms during the luteal phase. Calcium and evening primrose oil supplements may offer modest benefit. Case-control study, 2016 Do women with major depression or bipolar disorder experience more premenstrual symptoms than healthy women? Women with major depression in remission had more PMS than healthy women, with higher scores for depressive mood, anger, and other symptoms. Women with bipolar disorder in remission had similar PMS rates to healthy women. Study, 2016 Does balance or stability change across the menstrual cycle in active women? Balance that involves moving (dynamic stability) was worse during the middle of the luteal phase and best during the period itself. Anxiety, spinal posture, and balance while standing still did not change across the cycle. Survey study, 2016 Is there a link between body weight and having PMS? Yes. Women who are overweight are much more likely to have PMS than women at healthy weight. The link is very strong in this study. Survey study, 2016 Does PMS cause insomnia or sleep problems? No clear link. This small study of 58 medical students found no significant association between PMS and insomnia, though some women with PMS did report sleep problems. Survey study, 2016 What do women in Saudi Arabia know and think about PMS? Only 14.1% of women correctly knew PMS was a medical condition. Most were unaware they should seek medical help for it. Survey study, 2016 Do women with schizophrenia have irregular periods, and does this affect their psychiatric symptoms? Among 139 women with schizophrenia, 41% had irregular periods. Irregular cycles were linked to antipsychotic medications and lower estrogen levels, but did not appear to worsen psychiatric or depressive symptoms. Cohort study, 2016 Does genetic variation affect how women process emotions at different cycle phases? Yes. Women with certain gene variants showed different emotional responses depending on cycle phase and oral contraceptive use, though results varied by which variant they had. Survey study, 2016 Does study pressure affect depression during the premenstrual phase? The study found no clear difference in depression levels during the premenstrual phase between medical students (high study pressure) and economics students (lower study pressure). Survey study, 2016 How common is PMS in Pakistani university students and what are the main symptoms? PMS is common, affecting 60% of the 520 students studied. The most frequent symptoms were fatigue (86.84%), irritability (71.05%), and breast tenderness (67.65%). Interview study, 2016 How common are PMS and PMDD among college students in India? PMS was found in 18.4% of college students and PMDD in 3.7%. A simple screening questionnaire was 90.9% effective at identifying women with PMS. Survey study, 2016 Which factors predict how severe a woman's PMS will be? Family history of PMS, mother's education level, type of college, and menstrual cycle length all predicted PMS severity. Weight and menstrual flow duration did not. Non-randomised trial, 2016 Does a birth control pill improve quality of life in women with moderate to severe PMS? Yes, this pill significantly improved quality of life in multiple areas after 3 months, with 88.4% of women reporting satisfaction with treatment. However, this was a small study with no comparison to other treatments. Study, 2016 How does sleep relate to PMS and PMDD? The menstrual cycle affects how women sleep. Women with PMDD respond less to melatonin before their period, and sleep restriction can temporarily improve mood symptoms. Survey study, 2016 Can a computer program help diagnose PMDD reliably? Researchers developed C-PASS, a computer system to help diagnose PMDD from daily symptom tracking. The abstract was incomplete and did not include results of how well it works. Survey study, 2016 Does difficulty controlling emotions affect how PMS and anxiety change during your cycle? Partially. Emotion regulation affected how much anxiety control changed between cycle phases, but did not clearly affect physical PMS symptoms. Interview study, 2016 Do women with premenstrual mood problems have different brain serotonin activity? Yes, a brain imaging study found women with premenstrual dysphoria lack a normal pattern of serotonin activity on the right side of the brain during the premenstrual phase that asymptomatic women show. This is preliminary research based on only 12 women with the condition. Case-control study, 2016 Do women with PMDD respond differently to allopregnanolone across the menstrual cycle? Yes, women with PMDD show an opposite pattern of brain response to injected allopregnanolone across the cycle compared to healthy women, with stronger effects in the luteal phase, suggesting altered sensitivity to this hormone. Survey study, 2015 Does a chemical in your body change before menstruation, and does smelling it affect your feelings? A chemical called 2-heptanone increases to about twice the level before menstruation. When people smelled this chemical for longer periods (180 seconds), they were less interested in smelling it again compared to shorter exposures. The connection to PMS or mood is unclear. Survey study, 2015 How common is PMS in teenage school girls in an urban city in India? 54% of the teenage girls reported PMS symptoms, with irritability being the most common symptom (88.1%). Because this is a survey, it reflects what girls reported rather than clinical diagnosis. Case-control study, 2015 Are brain connections different in women with PMS? Yes. Women with PMS had decreased connectivity in some brain regions involved in emotion and memory, and increased connectivity in other regions. They also reported higher anxiety and depression. Study, 2015 How many women have PMS and what causes it? Between 20% and 80% of women have PMS, and 2% to 6% have the severe form (PMDD). Many different factors seem involved. Survey study, 2015 Are menstrual problems linked to mental health issues? Yes. Girls with menstrual problems were clearly more likely to have stress and anxiety. Survey study, 2015 Can blood protein levels help diagnose PMDD? Women with PMDD had lower levels of a blood protein called beta-arrestin1 that correlated with depression severity, suggesting it may help distinguish PMDD from PMS. Non-randomised trial, 2015 Does dark chocolate reduce PMS symptoms? Yes, eating dark chocolate daily for 2 weeks before menstruation reduced most PMS symptoms including anxiety, fatigue, and cramps in this small study. However, acne slightly worsened. Survey study, 2015 Do women with depression show signs of more cellular stress in their bodies? Yes. Women with depressive symptoms had a higher level of a cellular stress marker than women without depressive symptoms, consistent across all menstrual cycle phases. Randomised trial, 2015 Does quetiapine help women with PMS/PMDD who don't respond well to antidepressants? This very small pilot study suggests quetiapine as an add-on to antidepressants may help reduce mood-related symptoms like anxiety and irritability, but the evidence is weak because only 20 women were studied. Interview study, 2015 What are the symptoms of PMDD and how many women have it? PMDD is a severe form of premenstrual syndrome. About 90% of women experience premenstrual symptoms, but only 4.6% to 6.4% meet criteria for PMDD, and about 5% experience severe symptoms. Case-control study, 2015 Do certain genes affect whether you get PMDD? No. This study found no link between two genes (DRD3 and CNR1) and PMDD risk. Case report, 2015 Do hormones from the menstrual cycle affect schizophrenia symptoms? Yes. Women with schizophrenia often have worsening psychotic symptoms and depression or anxiety at certain times in their menstrual cycle. Doctors can manage this by adjusting medications. Study, 2015 Does how women smokers react to stress change during their menstrual cycle? Yes. Women smokers react to stress differently depending on where they are in their cycle. Survey study, 2015 Does menstrual pain cause emotional stress in young women? Among women aged 17-35 with premenstrual pain, most experienced emotional stress. Women with severe pain had very high rates of mood changes (80%), irritability (60%), and unusual laughter (40%). Survey study, 2015 Does changing hormones during menopause cause depression? Changing hormones during menopause may disrupt the body's stress-management system, making depression more likely. This is a theory based on reviewing research, not new evidence from testing. Survey study, 2015 How common is physical stress and pain during the menstrual cycle? Physical stress symptoms were common, with 15% experiencing mild, 14% moderate, and 5% severe symptoms. Most women did not exercise despite experiencing menstrual pain. Case report, 2015 How is PMDD diagnosed and treated differently in teenagers compared to adults? A 16-year-old girl with PMDD shows that diagnosis and treatment may need to be different for adolescents than for adults. This case raises important questions but is based on a single teenager, so we cannot yet say what the best approach is. Survey study, 2015 Can PMS affect a woman's relationship with her husband? Yes, this study found that worse PMS was linked to a worse marital relationship, especially for women with severe symptoms. Cohort study, 2015 Do brain networks change during the menstrual cycle and relate to premenstrual symptoms? Brain networks appear stable across different menstrual cycle phases. However, in women on birth control pills, changes in one brain network area correlated with premenstrual-like symptoms. This was a very small study using advanced brain imaging. Survey study, 2015 Does sweet taste preference change with depression during the menstrual cycle? In women during their luteal phase, those with higher depression symptoms needed more sugar to taste sweetness. This connection happened only in the luteal phase, not at other times. Non-randomised trial, 2015 Does aerobic exercise reduce premenstrual syndrome symptoms? Yes, aerobic exercise reduced PMS symptoms more than health education did. However, the study was small and short-term, so we cannot be completely sure it works for everyone. Survey study, 2015 Does menstrual cycle phase affect how nicotine affects women? Yes, menstrual cycle phase affects how smoking activates stress hormones and subjective feelings. Women in the high progesterone luteal phase showed reduced emotional and hormonal responses to smoking compared to other phases. 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. Study, 2015 Do women with more emotional sensitivity show different brain patterns during their menstrual cycle? Yes. Women who are more emotionally sensitive show different brain patterns than less sensitive women, especially during the second half of the cycle. Study, 2014 How did PMDD become an official diagnosis? PMDD was officially added to the DSM-5 with little controversy, unlike earlier proposals. Interviews revealed that changes in scientific evidence and professional attitudes led to acceptance. Survey study, 2014 What factors cause PMS in teenage girls? Daily hassles had the biggest effect on PMS in teenage girls. Other factors included age at first period, body weight, menstrual flow amount, test anxiety, social support, attitudes about menstruation, and femininity, but not school stress. Survey study, 2014 Does allopregnanolone, a progesterone metabolite, cause mood problems in PMDD? Theory suggests it might. In women with PMDD, allopregnanolone levels increase during the menstrual cycle and appear linked to mood changes. Paradoxically, this brain chemical normally calms the brain. Survey study, 2014 Do sexist attitudes and beliefs about menstruation affect how much women experience PMS symptoms? Yes, women with stronger traditional gender role beliefs reported more mood and concentration-related PMS symptoms. Beliefs about menstruation linked to sexism appear to influence how severe some PMS symptoms feel. Survey study, 2014 How much do teenage nursing students know about PMS? Most of the teenage students studied did not know enough about premenstrual syndrome, with insufficient knowledge being the most common result. Survey study, 2014 Does Baduanjin, a traditional Chinese exercise, reduce PMS symptoms? Yes, women who practiced Baduanjin for three menstrual cycles showed significant reductions in both physical and emotional PMS symptoms. Cohort study, 2014 Do sex hormones affect women's cognitive functions across the menstrual cycle? No. Changes in estrogen and progesterone did not affect memory, learning, or thinking abilities. Cognitive performance remained stable across the cycle. Study, 2014 Does soy extract containing isoflavones help with premenstrual symptoms? Soy isoflavone supplements improved some symptoms during menstruation but made mood symptoms worse during the luteal phase. Different treatments may work better at different times of the cycle. Survey study, 2014 Can measuring a protein in blood cells help diagnose PMDD? Lower levels of a protein called beta-arrestin1 were found in women with PMDD, and the reduction was correlated with more severe depression symptoms, suggesting this measurement could help diagnose PMDD. Randomised trial, 2014 Does the menstrual cycle affect how well women can regulate their emotions? Yes. Women had more trouble controlling sadness and other emotions during their period. They had to work harder but were less successful. Case-control study, 2014 Do women with PMDD have different brain activation during emotion processing? Women with PMDD showed lower activation in certain brain emotion-processing regions, especially those carrying a specific gene variant (Met-allele). This is suggestive evidence but based on a small study. Survey study, 2014 Does progressive muscle relaxation help reduce anxiety and depression in women with PMS? Progressive muscle relaxation reduced both anxiety and depression in women with PMS. Women who did the technique for one month showed clear improvement. Survey study, 2014 Which stomach and digestive symptoms occur around the time of menstruation? Most healthy women get stomach symptoms before or during their period, especially stomach pain and diarrhea. Women who have mood symptoms like depression or anxiety are more likely to have multiple stomach symptoms. Case-control study, 2014 Are appetite-regulating hormones ghrelin and leptin different in women with PMS? Leptin levels were higher in women with PMS before their period, but ghrelin showed no difference. The meaning is unclear because these hormones normally work together to control hunger. Case report, 2014 Does acetazolamide help PMDD symptoms in women who don't respond to standard treatments? In 8 women with PMDD who hadn't improved with standard treatments, adding acetazolamide 125 mg per day for 7-10 days before each period made their symptoms disappear. They stayed symptom-free for at least 12 months. Lab study, 2014 How do changes in brain chemistry during the menstrual cycle affect memory and thinking? In mice, certain brain receptors change levels during the ovarian cycle, affecting brain wave patterns in a way that may explain memory and thinking problems in women with PMS or PMDD. Survey study, 2014 Is depression more common in women with PMS? Yes, depression is more common in women with PMS. The rate of depression was higher in the PMS group than in women without PMS. Study, 2014 What are the symptoms and causes of PMS and PMDD? PMS involves physical and emotional symptoms before menstruation that resolve at the start. Over 40% experience emotional symptoms like irritability and tension, plus physical symptoms like breast tenderness and fatigue. PMDD is the most severe form. Survey study, 2014 How common is PMS among university women and how does it affect their schooling? 37 percent of female students met diagnostic criteria for PMS. About 28 percent missed classes because of PMS, and most did not seek medical treatment. Interview study, 2014 What PMS symptoms affect women's daily lives? Women with premenstrual tension syndrome experience different combinations of physical and mental symptoms that interfere with daily activities. Better healthcare support and education can help. Case-control study, 2014 Does PMDD change how the brain reacts to upsetting social situations? Yes, in this small study. Women with PMDD showed stronger brain reactions to upsetting social images than non-social ones in the late luteal phase, compared with women without PMDD. Case-control study, 2014 Are hormone and nerve chemical patterns different in different types of PMS? Women with two different types of PMS had different patterns of brain hormones and chemicals, particularly ones linked to anger and depression. The patterns could partly explain why symptoms differ between women. Study, 2014 Does how you process emotions change across your menstrual cycle? Yes. Your brain responds more strongly to moderately and highly negative images during your premenstrual phase compared to other cycle phases, even when the emotional strength of the images is the same. Case report, 2013 Can mood disorder symptoms happen only during the second half of the menstrual cycle? One woman had cycles of high mood followed by low mood that happened only during the second half of her menstrual cycle, repeating each month. Survey study, 2013 Does smoking behavior change across the menstrual cycle and is it linked to mood and period symptoms? Yes. Young women smokers smoked more cigarettes and had stronger cravings during the luteal phase (second half of the cycle). Smoking was linked to higher depression and menstrual symptoms, but the study cannot prove smoking causes these or vice versa. Survey study, 2013 Is a daily symptom tracker reliable for measuring PMS in Chinese women? Yes. The Daily Record of Severity of Problems showed good reliability and validity for tracking PMS symptoms in Chinese women, with stable measurements across two cycles. Randomised trial, 2013 Does chromium supplementation help with menstrual cycle-related mood symptoms? Possibly, but this is very preliminary evidence from a tiny study. Most women noticed improved mood and health satisfaction. Some improved on chromium alone, others improved more when combined with an antidepressant. Case-control study, 2013 Are insulin and leptin levels different in women with PMDD across the menstrual cycle? Yes. Women with PMDD had different patterns of insulin and leptin changes across the cycle compared to women without PMDD, but it is unclear whether these hormone changes cause mood and appetite symptoms or result from them. Survey study, 2013 How does emotional tension and thinking ability change across the menstrual cycle? Emotional tension is lowest and thinking ability is highest during the luteal phase. This is connected to progesterone levels. Survey study, 2013 Do women with PMDD have different brain activity related to depression during their menstrual cycle? Yes, women with PMDD show different brain activity related to depression during the luteal phase compared to women without PMDD. The study is small and needs confirmation in larger groups. Randomised trial, 2013 Does lavender scent help premenstrual mood symptoms? A 10-minute inhalation of lavender scent reduced symptoms of sadness and confusion during the premenstrual phase compared to water. The effect lasted about 35 minutes. Survey study, 2013 Does anemia make PMS symptoms worse? Yes. Girls with anemia had more severe PMS symptoms than girls without anemia. When anemic girls received iron supplements for 2 months, their symptoms improved significantly. Case-control study, 2013 Does the brain structure differ in women with PMDD? Women with PMDD had greater gray matter volume in the posterior cerebellum, and this was related to symptom severity. This is a very small study, so the findings may not apply to all women with PMDD. Lab study, 2013 Does how your brain processes emotional words change during your menstrual cycle? Yes, during menstruation, your brain shows a specific pattern when processing emotional words. This pattern is not seen in other cycle phases and differs from patterns in men and women using birth control. Case-control study, 2013 Are brain chemicals different in women with PMDD? Women with PMDD had higher levels of two brain proteins (BDNF and HSP70) during the luteal phase, suggesting their brain may be under stress or trying to compensate. This is a small study, so results need confirmation. Survey study, 2013 Does the menstrual cycle change how the brain responds to emotional faces? Yes, brain electrical activity in response to emotional faces is stronger during ovulation than during the premenstrual phase, suggesting hormone changes affect emotional processing. Cohort study, 2013 Does menstrual cycle length affect muscle strength and mood in young female dancers? Yes. Female dancers with shorter menstrual cycles (under 28 days) had stronger muscles but significantly worse mood and tiredness compared to those with longer cycles (over 28 days). Case-control study, 2013 How does the menstrual cycle affect processing emotions and thinking in women with and without PMS? All women took longer to resolve conflicts between emotions and thinking during the luteal phase. Only women with PMS showed increased stress levels during the luteal phase, suggesting an additional stress response. Case report, 2013 Can severe mood changes around a period be an early sign of bipolar disorder? In one teenage girl, a psychotic episode tied to her period turned out to be the first sign of bipolar disorder. This is a single case, so it cannot tell us how common this is. Survey study, 2013 Can headaches happen in the middle of a woman's cycle? Yes. About half of women get headaches before their period, but one in six experience headaches around the middle of their cycle instead. Headache timing often matches when mood symptoms occur. Case-control study, 2013 Is brain reactivity to emotional stimuli different during the menstrual cycle in women with PMDD? Yes. During the luteal phase, women with PMDD show heightened brain activity when anticipating negative emotional stimuli, but this heightened activity does not occur when they are actually viewing the stimuli. Survey study, 2013 Are premenstrual symptoms linked to how women experience their body? Yes. Women with premenstrual symptoms tend to focus more on physical sensations in their body, and this may contribute to how severe their symptoms become. Case report, 2013 Can the menstrual cycle trigger hypomanic episodes in bipolar disorder? This case describes an 18-year-old woman with bipolar disorder who experienced hypomanic episodes aligned with her menstrual cycle since the start of her periods, followed by depressive episodes. This shows that mood episodes and the menstrual cycle can be connected in some people. Survey study, 2013 Does stress sensitivity affect how the brain responds to emotional images across the menstrual cycle? The brain responds more strongly to emotional images during the late follicular phase than the luteal phase, and this effect is larger in women with high stress sensitivity. Randomised trial, 2013 Are low calcium and other minerals related to PMS symptoms? Yes, very low calcium is extremely common in women with PMS, and weak associations were found between low sodium or magnesium and some PMS symptoms like anxiety and depression. However, this study only shows association, not proof of causation. Lab study, 2013 Could antidepressants help prevent PMS by keeping brain chemicals stable? This is a theory based on how antidepressants work and animal research, but it has not yet been tested in women. Randomised trial, 2013 What treatments work for PMDD? Serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants and hormonal contraceptives are the most evidence-based treatments. Alternative treatments like calcium, chasteberry, St. John's wort, and behavioral therapy may help but have less research supporting them. Survey study, 2012 Do women with PMS drink alcohol differently than other women? Women with PMS mood patterns reported higher hard alcohol use and felt less negative when drinking than women with other mood patterns. The link may relate to how hormones affect brain chemistry and alcohol's mood effects. Lab study, 2012 Do stress and anger affect neurotransmitter levels in female monkeys with PMS-like symptoms? Yes. Female monkeys under social stress that developed PMS-like symptoms showed increased levels of three neurotransmitters (norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin) during the luteal phase. A herbal medicine treatment returned these levels to normal. Cohort study, 2012 Do depression increases in early adolescence predict menstrual cycle mood problems later? Girls whose depression increased in early adolescence showed menstrual cycle mood changes in adulthood, suggesting hormonal factors link early teen depression to later cycle symptoms. The study was small. Randomised trial, 2012 Does alcohol affect brain activity and thinking differently at different times in the menstrual cycle? Yes, alcohol had a stronger harmful effect on thinking during the follicular phase (first part of cycle) when progesterone is low. This was shown through brain wave patterns. Survey study, 2012 Do women with PMS eat more food before their period? Yes. Women with PMS ate significantly more energy and carbohydrates during the luteal phase (before their period) compared to other times. Interview study, 2012 Can the days before your period ever feel good, not just bad? Yes. In this study, many women described real positive changes before their period, such as better mood, less tension, feeling more attractive, and a valid reason to rest, showing premenstrual change is not always negative. Case-control study, 2012 How does sleep differ during the menstrual cycle in women with PMDD? Women with PMDD had lower melatonin and more deep sleep compared to controls. This suggests their sleep regulation may be different. Survey study, 2012 Do women with PMDD have different ovaries or hormones than women without it? Women with PMDD had significantly fewer developing egg follicles than women without PMDD, but did not have polycystic ovaries or higher male hormones as researchers expected. Case-control study, 2012 Do women with PMDD have different melatonin patterns than women without PMDD? Yes. Women with PMDD had significantly lower melatonin at night and a weaker rhythm pattern, especially during the luteal phase when symptoms occur. However, this was a very small pilot study with only 5 women per group, so findings need confirmation in larger research. Survey study, 2012 What causes changes in how much women eat at different times of their menstrual cycle? A literature review suggests several factors may cause increases in eating during the luteal phase (before the period), including PMS severity and food-seeking behavior. More research is needed, especially in women who are overweight. Survey study, 2012 How common is PMDD in East Asian countries? PMDD appears less common in East Asia (1.3-2.8%) than in Western countries (3-8%), though the reasons are not yet clear. Case report, 2012 How can doctors tell the difference between severe PMS and bipolar disorder? Doctors can tell the difference by looking for symptoms that clearly follow the menstrual cycle and improve during pregnancy. These patterns occur in severe PMS but not in bipolar disorder, and severe PMS doesn't respond to antidepressants or mood-stabilizing medications used for bipolar disorder. Case-control study, 2012 Do women with PMS have worse sleep quality than those without? Yes. A significantly higher percentage of women with PMS reported poor sleep quality, mainly due to sleep disturbances. The difference was statistically significant. Non-randomised trial, 2012 Does brain activity during response inhibition differ in women with PMDD? Yes. Women with PMDD showed reduced activity in brain areas involved in attention and movement control compared to healthy women, and the insula showed different activation patterns across menstrual cycle phases. Study, 2012 How do thinking abilities change during the menstrual cycle? Women performed best on mental rotation tasks during menstrual and early follicular phases (low hormone times), best on word fluency during menstrual and mid-luteal phases. Anxiety and masculine/feminine feelings stayed the same. Review, 2012 Should surgery be used to treat PMDD? Surgery (removing both ovaries and uterus, followed by low-dose estrogen therapy) can be effective for PMDD, but only for women who don't respond to medications or cannot tolerate them. Lab study, 2011 Are certain brain-affecting hormones linked to mood changes during the menstrual cycle? Yes. A specific type of hormone (7-hydroxylated metabolites of dehydroepiandrosterone) is significantly lower during the high-hormone luteal phase, which may be linked to mood and thinking changes that happen during this phase. Survey study, 2011 Why do women get panic disorder more often than men? This review proposes that women with anxiety sensitivity may be more vulnerable to panic disorder because progesterone and its brain chemical allopregnanolone interact differently during the premenstrual phase. The evidence is preliminary. Survey study, 2011 Does quitting caffeine cause different withdrawal symptoms in different menstrual cycle phases? Caffeine withdrawal caused some symptoms in both phases, but the pattern was similar. Menstrual cycle phase did not change the severity of withdrawal symptoms or thinking and motor performance. Survey study, 2011 How common is PMS and how much does it affect daily life? Very common, affecting 81.25% of women, with significant impacts on work, school, mood, and physical symptoms like pain and fatigue. Study, 2011 Does your menstrual cycle affect how often you have unwanted memories of emotional events? Yes. Women in the luteal phase reported significantly more unwanted memories of emotional films than women in the follicular phase, and the number of memories correlated with progesterone levels. Survey study, 2011 How common are PMS symptoms in teenage girls, and do they get help for them? Most teenage girls in this study had mood and physical symptoms before their period that affected school and social life, but very few ever saw a doctor about it. Survey study, 2011 Do women with PMDD have different brain activity linked to their mood changes? Yes. Women with PMDD showed increased activity in a specific brain region as they moved from the first half to the second half of their cycle, and this increase was linked to worsening mood. Healthy women did not show this pattern. Survey study, 2011 Do all women experience mood changes the same way across their menstrual cycle? No. About 61% of women follow the classic PMS pattern, 13% show mood peaking mid-cycle instead, and 26% have no regular pattern. Survey study, 2011 Why do some women experience negative mood with hormone changes? The paper proposes that negative mood in PMDD may result from how a brain chemical reacts to receptors. This is a theoretical explanation based on research patterns, not a definitive finding from a new study. Study, 2011 Does bright morning light reset the body clock differently in women with PMDD? Women with PMDD showed a weaker response to bright morning light during the luteal phase compared to women without PMDD. The difference appeared only in the luteal phase, not the follicular phase. Survey study, 2011 Does PMS affect how well female soccer players perform? Among 112 Brazilian indoor soccer players, 47.32% had PMS. Those with PMS reported their performance was affected, with depression, irritability, and difficulty concentrating being common symptoms linked to performance impact. Survey study, 2011 Does the menstrual cycle phase affect how trauma memories form? Women who experienced trauma while in the luteal phase were more likely to develop strong traumatic flashback memories. The effect was stronger if they were in the luteal phase when assessed later, though the study was small. Survey study, 2011 Do menstrual symptoms make IBS worse in young Taiwanese women? Yes, in this study. Digestive symptoms got worse during menstruation in young women with IBS, though this was only measured in one school in Taiwan. Study, 2011 What is PMDD and how common is it? PMDD is a condition where mood symptoms occur regularly during the second half of the menstrual cycle and cause problems with daily life. It affects 3 to 5 percent of women. Survey study, 2011 Does work stress and night shifts increase risk of PMS and PMDD? Yes, women working night shifts had higher rates of PMS (56% vs 32%) and PMDD (22% vs 13%) compared to women without shift work, but we cannot prove the shifts caused these conditions. Survey study, 2010 How should doctors diagnose PMS and PMDD? Doctors should use symptom diaries and other proven diagnostic tools to distinguish PMS and PMDD from other conditions, though many overlapping symptoms make diagnosis challenging. Cohort study, 2010 How do anxiety disorders differ across different life stages? The provided summary focuses on anxiety in children and risk factors. The section about women and hormones is cut off in the provided text, so no conclusion about menstrual-related anxiety can be drawn. Survey study, 2010 Does eating harder or chewier food help with premenstrual symptoms? No. The study found no link between how hard food is to chew and premenstrual symptom severity, so eating harder foods does not appear to help. Survey study, 2010 Do women in different menstrual phases respond to stress differently than men? Yes. Men showed stronger hormonal stress responses than women. However, women in the luteal phase reported feeling more stressed and showed greater emotional stress hormone responses than women in the follicular phase. Case-control study, 2010 Do women with severe PMS sleep worse and have trouble staying alert? Women with severe PMS report more sleepiness and fatigue and perform worse on attention tasks during the premenstrual phase. However, their ability to stay awake under drowsy conditions is normal. Survey study, 2010 Is lower blood serotonin linked to worse mood before menstruation? Yes, women with lower blood serotonin during the premenstrual phase had worse tension, anxiety, and fatigue. However, the study is very small and only looked at healthy women, so results may not apply to women with PMS or PMDD. Study, 2010 What gynecologic problems do girls with Down syndrome, autism, and cerebral palsy experience? Girls with these developmental disabilities commonly have irregular periods and mood or behavioral changes when they start menstruating. Girls with autism are especially likely to develop behavioral problems related to their periods. Study, 2010 Are women with PMDD more sensitive to how light affects sleep hormones? The study tested whether women with PMDD respond differently to light exposure by measuring effects on melatonin, a hormone related to sleep, at different times in the menstrual cycle. Study, 2010 Does your brain respond differently to upsetting images depending on your menstrual cycle phase? Yes. Women showed significantly stronger brain activation in areas involved in emotion and memory (amygdala and hippocampus) during the luteal phase compared to the follicular phase when viewing upsetting images. Review, 2010 Does the menstrual cycle make mental and physical health problems worse? Yes. Many medical and mental health conditions get worse at specific phases of the menstrual cycle, particularly during the luteal phase when premenstrual dysphoric disorder (a severe form of PMS) and depression commonly occur. Survey study, 2010 Is living in a less wealthy neighborhood linked to worse premenstrual symptoms? Higher neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage was clearly linked to more premenstrual pain even after considering other factors, though other premenstrual symptoms showed no clear link. Non-randomised trial, 2010 Does the menstrual cycle change how the brain responds to stress? Yes. In the late luteal phase (before your period), stress affected brain emotion regions differently than in other cycle phases, with unexpected lower response in the late luteal phase. Women with higher natural hormone changes showed smaller brain responses to stress. Case-control study, 2010 Are personality traits different in women with PMDD? Yes. Women with PMDD showed higher levels of neuroticism-related traits including anxiety, stress susceptibility, embitterment, and mistrust than healthy women. These traits were stronger in women with more severe symptoms and linked to a genetic variation in the serotonin transporter gene. Study, 2010 Do fine motor skills and spatial reasoning change during the menstrual cycle? Yes. Performance is best during the mid-luteal phase when hormones are highest and worst during menstruation when hormones are lowest. Review, 2010 What is PMDD and how can it be treated? PMDD is a severe set of mood and physical symptoms linked to estrogen that appear during the luteal phase and disappear within one week after menstruation. Treatment with SSRIs (antidepressants) shows promise but works best as part of a multidisciplinary approach. Study, 2010 What is the difference between PMS and PMDD? PMS affects about 75% of women and lasts a week or two before the period. PMDD is a more severe form affecting 3-6% of women, and both are diagnosed by tracking symptoms over several cycles, not blood tests. Survey study, 2010 How do mood, physical state, and self-image change during the premenstrual period? During the premenstrual period, women experienced more negative emotions, fewer positive emotions, and felt worse about their body and themselves. Changes affected how they saw themselves, not just their mood. Survey study, 2010 How does menstruation affect teenage girls with cerebral palsy and their families? Period problems are just as common in girls with cerebral palsy as in other girls. Most girls are happy with how periods affect their social life, but parents of girls with more severe cerebral palsy are more anxious and more likely to seek advice. Lab study, 2009 Can an animal model help us understand PMDD and test treatments? Yes, researchers found a rat model showing premenstrual-like irritability that responds to antidepressants, which could help understand what causes PMDD and test new treatments. Survey study, 2009 Does job stress affect periods and hormone levels in female workers? Women with higher job stress had more period problems and some hormone changes, with longer work hours linked to lower estrogen levels. Lab study, 2009 Does the menstrual cycle affect how well women recognize emotions on people's faces? Yes. Women in the low-hormone early follicular phase recognize angry, sad, and fearful faces better than women in other menstrual phases or men. Higher estrogen levels are linked to lower accuracy recognizing angry faces. Survey study, 2009 Does brain activity change across the menstrual cycle? Yes, brain activity in the prefrontal cortex shifts between different phases, with different sides of the brain being more active at different times. This is based on a small study. Study, 2009 Does the menstrual cycle phase affect how well women can focus and remember things? The menstrual cycle affects how well women focus but not memory. Lower estradiol levels seem to reduce your ability to focus. Survey study, 2009 Are physical menstrual cycle symptoms linked to premenstrual depression? Six physical symptoms of the menstrual cycle together explained nearly 30% of the difference in depression levels. Physical symptoms and mood appear to be connected, though other factors also matter. Survey study, 2009 What is premenstrual dysphoric disorder and how common is it? Premenstrual dysphoric disorder affects 3 to 5 percent of women of reproductive age and causes severe mood problems and food cravings. It is much more severe than regular PMS and significantly disrupts quality of life and work. Survey study, 2009 Why do some women feel depressed or anxious when progesterone increases before their period? A literature review suggests progesterone is converted to chemicals that affect the brain's GABA system. At levels before the period, these chemicals paradoxically cause anxiety instead of calming it. Women with PMDD have changes in their GABA system that make them more sensitive. Survey study, 2009 Does nutrition affect premenstrual syndrome in teenage girls? Girls with lower calcium and magnesium intake were more likely to have PMS. Overall nutritional status alone didn't show a clear relationship. Survey study, 2009 Does menstrual cycle phase affect how well women follow drug treatment? The study found relationships between menstrual cycle phase and treatment compliance through anxiety levels, but the exact connection needs more research. Study, 2009 Does Femifort supplement help with PMS? Femifort is a food supplement containing vitamins and plant products reported to help with PMS symptoms, but specific testing results are not provided. Cohort study, 2009 Do balance and hearing tests change during different phases of the menstrual cycle? Yes. Some balance tests showed significant differences when women were tested before versus after menstruation, suggesting hormones affect balance function. Cohort study, 2008 How can menstrual-related irritability be measured reliably? Researchers developed two rating scales for measuring menstrual-related irritability. Both the 14-item self-report and 5-item observer scales showed strong reliability and consistency. Survey study, 2008 Are bipolar mood symptoms affected by the phase of the menstrual cycle? No clear difference in bipolar symptoms across menstrual cycle phases was found overall. However, a small number of women showed mood changes during the luteal phase. Review, 2008 How does the menstrual cycle affect thinking, mood, and sensation? Hormones that change during the menstrual cycle directly affect thinking, mood, sensation, appetite, and other brain functions. Evidence shows PMS is a real biological condition, likely involving the immune system. Survey study, 2008 How common are menstrual cycle symptoms and how should doctors discuss them? 85% of women experience menstrual cycle changes and up to 40% are bothered by them. Doctors should routinely ask about these symptoms to improve treatment. Survey study, 2008 Does eating lower glycemic index carbohydrates help reduce PMS symptoms? Yes. Lower glycemic index diet was associated with fewer overall PMS symptoms and specifically with fewer concentration problems, autonomic reactions, and water retention. Randomised trial, 2008 Can adding aripiprazole to an antidepressant help premenstrual violence? A single 38-year-old woman with major depression and severe premenstrual violence improved when aripiprazole was added to her SSRI. However, this is only one case, so we cannot be confident it works for other women. Survey study, 2008 Do women with PMS show more sadness in their facial expressions during the luteal phase? Women with PMS showed increased sadness muscle activity in their face during the luteal phase compared to the follicular phase, while women without PMS showed no change. This suggests women with PMS process emotions differently premenstrually. Survey study, 2008 Does how well women recognize emotions change during the menstrual cycle? Women recognized emotions better during the follicular phase when progesterone levels were lower. This suggests progesterone may affect how well women read emotions in faces. Randomised trial, 2008 Does the menstrual cycle affect how well women recognize emotions in faces? Yes. Women were better at recognizing emotions and had stronger brain activity in response to emotional faces during their follicular phase compared to their luteal phase. Survey study, 2008 Do genes related to mood and stress change during the menstrual cycle? One stress-related gene (FKBP5) showed lower activity in the follicular phase compared to other phases. Anxiety scores also changed during the cycle, but these two changes were not connected to each other. Lab study, 2008 Does progesterone withdrawal affect anxiety in female brains? When progesterone levels drop, specific changes happen in a brain region involved in anxiety. This research is in rats, not humans, so we do not know if the findings apply to women. Non-randomised trial, 2008 Do the hormones in birth control pills affect thinking and mood? Yes. The type of hormone affects spatial thinking. Second generation pills improve this performance, while Yasmin reduces it. Effects on mood were not clearly reported. Cohort study, 2008 Do hormonal changes during the cycle affect binge eating in women without eating disorders? Yes. Binge eating urges were higher in the two weeks before the period and lower when estrogen was higher, even in women without eating disorders. Survey study, 2008 Do healthy women without PMDD have mood changes during their menstrual cycle? Yes, but the changes are small. Healthy women without PMDD showed small increases in anxiety, depression, and other negative mood symptoms from late follicular to late luteal phase. Study, 2008 Does calcium and vitamin D deficiency cause PMS? Evidence suggests that calcium and vitamin D deficiency may cause PMS symptoms during the luteal phase. Calcium and vitamin D supplements may help treat PMS. Randomised trial, 2008 How do different menstrual cycle phases affect attention, memory, and thinking skills? Yes. Sustained attention improved during the early luteal phase when progesterone is high, and spatial memory improved during ovulation when estrogen is high. Survey study, 2008 What are the symptoms and treatment options for menstrual cycle-related problems? Menstrual cycle problems affect up to 2.5 million women yearly with physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms. They can be treated with NSAIDs, lifestyle changes, SSRIs, or birth control pills, with continuous use showing the most promise. Survey study, 2008 Does low progesterone cause PMS? No. Research by Professor Dennerstein showed that low progesterone does not cause PMS, even though hormones affect mood and behavior across the menstrual cycle. Survey study, 2008 Do hormone changes during the premenstrual phase relate to mood symptoms in women with mood disorders? In women with bipolar disorder and major depression, progesterone and allopregnanolone levels during the premenstrual phase are linked to mixed mood features and suicidal ideas, particularly in those with bipolar disorder. We cannot be certain because the study is very small. Lab study, 2008 Does brain activity related to emotion change during the menstrual cycle? Yes. The pattern of brain activity between the two sides of the front of the brain shifts between ovulation and menstruation, suggesting different emotional tendencies at different cycle phases. Lab study, 2008 How does the brain respond to emotions differently in women with PMDD? Women with PMDD show different brain activity during the premenstrual phase: they react more strongly to negative emotions and less to positive ones, and brain regions that normally control emotions don't work as well. Survey study, 2007 Does the nervous system work differently during the menstrual cycle in women with PMS or PMDD? Yes. Women with PMS showed decreased automatic body control in the second half of their cycle, and women with PMDD showed decreased body control throughout their cycle compared to women without PMS. Lab study, 2007 Can antidepressants reduce anxious-like behavior during low-hormone phases in female rats? Yes. Fluoxetine, desipramine, nomifensine, diazepam, and progesterone all reduced anxious-like burying behavior during the low-hormone phase. Chlorpromazine had no effect. Review, 2007 Does the menstrual cycle change your body clock and sleep? Yes. Body temperature, hormone rhythms like melatonin and cortisol, and sleep quality all shift across the cycle, with the most noticeable changes after ovulation and around menses, based on a review of past studies rather than new data. Non-randomised trial, 2007 Can a herbal formula called kamishoyosan help PMDD symptoms? In this small pilot study, many women with PMDD improved after taking kamishoyosan, but it was not tested against a dummy treatment, so this is an early, less certain result. Non-randomised trial, 2007 Does the contraceptive pill Yasmin ease premenstrual symptoms? In this study, women reported fewer premenstrual symptoms like low mood, poor concentration and water retention after six months on Yasmin, but because there was no comparison group, we cannot be fully sure the pill itself caused the improvement. Case-control study, 2007 Does serotonin function change differently in PMDD versus PMS versus healthy women? Women with PMDD show unusually high serotonin function in the follicular phase but low function in the luteal phase, different from women with PMS and healthy women. This suggests PMDD involves an unstable serotonin system. Survey study, 2007 Is irritable bowel syndrome more common in women, and does it change during the menstrual cycle? Irritable bowel syndrome is more common in women than men. Stomach symptoms do not appear to change based on which phase of the menstrual cycle a woman is in. Study, 2007 Does isolation stress during the luteal phase cause depression-like symptoms in female monkeys? Yes, female monkeys isolated during their luteal phase developed depression-like symptoms in the following cycles. A traditional Chinese herbal medicine reduced these symptoms and normalized hormone and chemical levels. Survey study, 2007 Does reduced blood circulation cause premenstrual symptoms? Possibly. Women who had premenstrual symptoms showed decreased blood circulation during the second half of their cycle, but only 11 women had symptoms and the mechanism is unclear. Non-randomised trial, 2007 Does magnesium supplementation reduce PMS symptoms? Yes, magnesium supplementation significantly reduced PMS symptoms after 3 months, with symptom scores decreasing by about 35 percent. However, this study had no placebo control, so some improvement could be due to placebo effect. Case report, 2007 Does Fluoxetine taken only during the luteal phase help PMDD in teenagers? Yes. One 17-year-old girl had complete resolution of her PMDD symptoms when she took Fluoxetine 20 mg daily during the luteal phase. This is a single case. Cohort study, 2007 Do women with depression or bipolar disorder experience premenstrual mood symptoms? 67.7% of women with major depression or bipolar disorder reported premenstrual mood symptoms, significantly more than women without mood disorders. The rates were similar between the two diagnoses. Case-control study, 2007 Is PMDD linked to genetic variations in the estrogen receptor gene? Yes. Four genetic variations in the ESR1 estrogen receptor gene were significantly more common in women with PMDD than in controls. These associations were strongest in women with a specific genetic variation in the COMT gene. Survey study, 2007 Does light therapy for seasonal depression affect when menstruation starts? Menstruation started on average 1.2 days earlier after light therapy for seasonal depression. This was noted as a minor side effect in only 2 people. Randomised trial, 2007 Do birth control pills help depression that worsens before the period in women on antidepressants? Both women who got additional hormone in the second phase and those who got placebo improved significantly, so we cannot say whether the additional hormone made a difference. Survey study, 2006 Could hormone-driven changes in brain chemistry explain mood problems during the menstrual cycle? This is a proposed explanation, not proven by research. The authors suggest that changes in specific brain-made chemicals called neurosteroids, triggered by shifting estrogen levels during the menstrual cycle, might cause depression and other mood problems. Review, 2006 How do doctors tell PMS and PMDD apart from other conditions? This review explains that diagnosing PMS and PMDD requires at least 2 months of tracking symptoms day by day, plus a full medical check to rule out other causes. There is no single quick test for either condition. Non-randomised trial, 2006 Do women with PMDD respond differently to estrogen? Yes. Women with PMDD showed a different response to an estrogen injection, with stronger hormone surges linked to bloating and irritability. Survey study, 2006 Does the menstrual cycle affect mood disorders? Some women with mood disorders may experience worsening symptoms during the premenstrual period. Evidence is limited and study methods are inconsistent across available research. Review, 2006 When mood changes seem tied to your cycle, is it actually PMDD? No. Many mood and anxiety symptoms tied to the menstrual cycle are not genuine PMDD. When true PMDD occurs, its impact on quality of life is similar to major depressive disorder. Case-control study, 2006 Do women with IBS and period pain have worse symptoms? Yes. Women with IBS who also have dysmenorrhea and premenstrual distress report significantly more cramping, depression, anger, and cognitive problems than women with IBS alone. This group may need complex, multicomponent treatment. Cohort study, 2006 Are menstrual symptoms linked to inflammation in the body? Yes. A marker of low-grade inflammation in the blood correlated with mood, behavior, and physical symptoms during the menstrual cycle, independent of body weight and hormone levels. Study, 2006 Does tracking your mood closely make premenstrual mood changes feel worse? Yes. Women who closely monitored their mood reported worse happiness and calmness before their period compared to those who didn't closely track. Study, 2006 How should we think about menstruation and PMS differently? The author argues that women need accurate information about their bodies instead of myths, and that treating PMS as a collection of symptoms rather than a biological process could help us understand and support women better. Review, 2006 Could changes in brain receptors explain premenstrual anxiety? Possibly, based on animal studies. When progesterone drops (like before a period), rat brains show changes in GABA receptors in regions that control panic and anxiety, though whether this happens in women's brains is unknown. Case-control study, 2006 Can disrupted sleep and body rhythms explain mood problems around periods, pregnancy, or after birth? It's a promising idea but not yet proven. Women with depression at these times show a different pattern of sleep and body rhythms than healthy women, though the exact pattern differs by life stage. Review, 2006 Do hormone-related brain chemicals explain why some women develop mood disorders? Possibly. Natural steroid hormones in the brain, like allopregnanolone, seem to affect GABA, the brain's main calming chemical, and this interaction may contribute to mood and substance use disorders in women, according to a review of lab and clinical research. Survey study, 2005 Does drospirenone hormone therapy reduce weight gain and PMS-like symptoms? In studies of drospirenone-containing hormone therapy, women had less or no weight gain (mean decrease of 1.2 kg after one year) and improvements in bloating, swelling, breast tenderness, and mood. Survey study, 2005 How common is depression during pregnancy and what causes it? Depression affects about 13.9% of pregnant women in this Lebanese hospital. Risk factors include family history of depression, mood changes before the period, and life stressors like lack of partner support and financial problems. Case report, 2005 Can drospirenone birth control help severe PMS with brain swelling and seizures? In one woman with severe PMS including brain swelling and seizures, treatment with an oral contraceptive containing drospirenone significantly reduced all symptoms and prevented the brain swelling and seizures. Randomised trial, 2005 Does pain during dental treatment change depending on where a woman is in her menstrual cycle? Yes. Women experienced significantly more pain during the peri-menstrual phase (menstruation or pre-menstruation) than during the post-menstrual phase (mid-cycle). Randomised trial, 2005 Can estrogen treat depression linked to hormonal changes? Estrogen affects mood through brain chemistry, but there is not enough evidence to recommend it as a main treatment. SSRIs (a type of antidepressant) remain the standard choice. Case-control study, 2005 Does the menstrual cycle affect how the brain's two hemispheres work together for attention? Yes, high estradiol levels during the midluteal phase decreased asymmetry in spatial attention, suggesting hormonal changes affect how brain hemispheres interact. Study, 2005 Does PMS affect how women experience fear and stress at different times in their cycle? Women with PMS reported higher fear during the second half of their cycle than women without PMS. Strangely, their cortisol levels (a stress hormone) were actually lower during that same time, suggesting their stress system may work differently. Survey study, 2005 Can menstruation trigger severe mental illness like psychosis? Yes. Medical case reports show that menstruation can trigger psychotic episodes in some women, particularly around the time of the period or repeatedly in cycles tied to the menstrual cycle. Study, 2005 Does emotional processing in the brain change across the menstrual cycle? Yes. In women without PMDD, activity in the emotion-processing part of the brain changes depending on where they are in their menstrual cycle. Lab study, 2005 How do changes in brain chemistry during the menstrual cycle affect anxiety and seizures? During the high-progesterone phase of the cycle, specific brain chemicals increase the brain's ability to calm down, which reduces seizure risk and anxiety. Some women with PMDD or epilepsy may not have normal cycling of these chemicals, which could explain their symptoms. Study, 2005 What is premenstrual syndrome and PMDD and how do they affect women? PMS and PMDD are conditions related to the menstrual cycle. While some women experience mild discomfort, others experience PMDD, which significantly reduces quality of life and increases medical costs and lost work productivity. Randomised trial, 2005 Can the antidepressant fluoxetine help teenage girls with PMDD? In these 3 case reports, fluoxetine fully resolved PMDD symptoms in teenage girls treated for 2 years, but with no control group this cannot prove the drug caused the improvement. Non-randomised trial, 2005 Do women with PMS have abnormal automatic nerve function? No significant differences were found in sympathetic nerve function between women with PMS and healthy women across their cycle. This suggests PMS is not caused by problems in this particular automatic nerve system, though only one type of test was measured. Review, 2005 How does Traditional Chinese Medicine view and treat premenstrual syndrome? Traditional Chinese Medicine has used herbal medicines to treat PMS for centuries, but very few of these treatments have been rigorously studied using modern research methods. Lab study, 2005 When progesterone drops during the menstrual cycle, do brain changes occur that could explain anxiety in PMDD? Yes, according to this rat study. When progesterone was withdrawn, a specific type of brain receptor involved in anxiety control increased dramatically in numbers in key brain regions. Study, 2004 What do we know about what causes PMS and PMDD? The exact causes aren't well understood yet. PMS and PMDD happen in the second half of your menstrual cycle and involve mood and physical symptoms. Lab study, 2004 Can a portable device accurately measure blood oxygen levels across the menstrual cycle? A portable device called Astrim can reliably measure blood oxygen levels using near-infrared light. Body temperature and hormone levels measured in urine increased in the premenstrual phase. Study, 2004 Did SSRIs change what people thought of as depression in women? Between 1985 and 2000, as SSRIs became available for PMDD and related conditions, popular media began describing menstruation, motherhood, and childbirth as potential signs of depression. Survey study, 2004 Does menstrual cycle aggression in rats relate to breathing changes? Female rats that showed aggression during their menstrual-like cycle had higher variation in their breathing depth, which may help explain why women with premenstrual dysphoria show increased breathing variability. Non-randomised trial, 2004 Do women with depression have abnormal hormone rhythms across the menstrual cycle? Both healthy women and women with depression showed clear daily hormone rhythms that changed with cycle phase, with no significant differences between groups. However, depressed women had higher overall estradiol levels. Review, 2004 Does PMS affect blood sugar control in women with diabetes? This is a review, not a new study, and it suggests PMS might make blood sugar harder to control around the menstrual cycle, but it does not give a clear yes or no answer because past research has been mixed. Non-randomised trial, 2004 Are depression and anxiety linked to estrogen and progesterone levels in women with PMDD? No. This study found no significant correlations between depression or anxiety ratings and either hormone. Case-control study, 2004 Does PMDD change the brain's electrical activity? Yes. Women with PMDD show a shift to negative patterns in brain electrical activity during the luteal phase while controls remain stable. This change in a brain measure linked to mood matches their severe negative mood. Non-randomised trial, 2004 Does the menstrual cycle affect brain activity related to memory and attention? Yes. Brain electrical activity related to attention (the P300 response) was significantly stronger during menstruation than during ovulation. Memory effects were similar at both cycle phases. Survey study, 2004 Is suicide risk linked to the menstrual cycle? Women were more likely to attempt suicide during the follicular phase (early cycle). The reason is unclear, though low estrogen and progesterone in this phase may play a role, but hormones alone do not explain it. Cohort study, 2004 Do anxiety levels and coping styles affect premenstrual distress? Yes. Women with high anxiety sensitivity used less helpful coping strategies and reported more premenstrual distress, especially when using avoidance coping. Survey study, 2003 Is cycle-related aggression linked to changes in breathing during the menstrual cycle? In rats prone to cycle-related aggression, breathing rate was higher during one phase of the cycle, whereas non-aggressive rats showed no breathing changes. This may help explain similar patterns in humans with PMDD. Non-randomised trial, 2003 Does missing one night of sleep affect how your body responds to exercise during your menstrual cycle? No. One night without sleep did not significantly change how the body responded to exercise during either the follicular or luteal phase. The menstrual cycle phase itself also did not affect exercise responses. Survey study, 2003 Does blood pressure change during the menstrual cycle? Yes, blood pressure does change during the menstrual cycle. Systolic blood pressure is lower in the first half of the cycle, and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate are lower during menstruation and the first half of the cycle. Survey study, 2003 Do hormone levels change during the menstrual cycle in women with depression? Yes. Women with depression had higher levels of a chemical called homocysteine in the early cycle compared to the late cycle, and overall higher levels than healthy women. Non-randomised trial, 2003 Do menstrual cycle hormones change how the brain works during language tasks? Yes. Progesterone and estradiol levels correlated with the amount and pattern of brain activity during language tasks but not during simpler perception tasks. This shows hormones affect specific brain regions in specific ways. Cohort study, 2003 Do women with bipolar disorder experience mood changes across their menstrual cycle? Yes. Most women with bipolar disorder taking medication reported significant mood changes linked to their menstrual cycle, and most also had unusually long menstrual cycles. However, the study was very small. Survey study, 2003 Is how much control women feel over their life linked to premenstrual symptoms? Yes. Women who felt they had less control over their circumstances were more likely to have premenstrual symptoms, anxiety, and depression. Women felt especially out of control during the premenstrual phase compared to other times in their cycle. Survey study, 2003 Does crying actually increase before menstruation? Women reported more crying before their period across 33 countries, but when women kept actual diaries of their crying, no real increase appeared in any menstrual phase. The belief may matter more than the actual change. Case-control study, 2003 Do bulimia symptoms change across menstrual cycle phases? Yes, bulimia symptoms worsen in mid-luteal and premenstrual phases compared to other cycle phases. The study is very small with only 8 women, so results need confirmation. Non-randomised trial, 2002 Does acetaminophen change body temperature and sleep in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle? No. Acetaminophen had no effect on the raised body temperature or altered sleep that normally occur during the luteal phase. This suggests that painkillers that block prostaglandins are not the reason for these luteal phase changes. Survey study, 2002 How common is premenstrual dysphoric disorder among women in Morocco? About half of 618 women interviewed in Casablanca met criteria for PMDD, with the most common symptoms being appetite changes, depressed mood, and emotional instability. Review, 2002 Can antidepressants help severe PMS (PMDD) symptoms like irritability and low mood? Yes. This review says serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) antidepressants reduce PMDD symptoms effectively, while non-serotonin antidepressants do not, and they can even be taken only in part of the cycle. Survey study, 2002 Does menstrual cycle phase affect asthma or anxiety symptoms? No. This study found no significant connection between menstrual cycle phase and these symptoms. The sample size was not reported in the abstract. Guideline, 2002 What is the best way to diagnose premenstrual dysphoric disorder? A three-step diagnostic process including phone screening, clinical interview, and daily symptom tracking over two menstrual cycles can accurately identify PMDD. Using this process, 4% of women tested had PMDD, matching rates reported in other studies. Review, 2002 Does noticing bodily changes cause PMS symptoms? Women who pay close attention to bodily sensations experienced mood changes with their cycle, while women who do not notice bodily cues showed no cycle effects. Reminding cycle-aware women of their cycle stage prevented symptoms. Randomised trial, 2002 Does how women respond to cocaine depend on their menstrual cycle phase? Yes. Women show stronger effects from cocaine during the follicular phase than the luteal phase, including greater heart rate increase and feeling more high. Review, 2002 Are hormone problems the cause of PMS? No clear hormone abnormalities have been found in people with PMS, even though hormones seem connected to mood. A treatment that stops monthly cycles improved mood, but why this works is still unclear. Survey study, 2002 Does the menstrual cycle change gut sensitivity in women with IBS? Yes. Women with IBS have more sensitive bowels during their period compared to other times, which may explain why their IBS gets worse. Women without IBS do not show this change. Survey study, 2002 Do birth control pills affect mood? Birth control pills help most women's mood by reducing mood swings and sadness during menstruation. However, some women experience worse mood while taking them, especially those with a history of depression or pregnancy mood problems. Survey study, 2001 How does a woman's attitude toward menstruation relate to her premenstrual symptoms? A clear connection was found between how women view menstruation and their premenstrual symptoms. Women who saw menstruation as weakening them physically and emotionally experienced more premenstrual symptoms. Cohort study, 2001 Do women with PMDD handle stress hormones differently than women without it? Yes. In this small study, women with PMDD showed different patterns of the hormone allopregnanolone and cortisol around stress compared to women without PMDD, hinting at a biological difference in how their bodies respond to stress. Randomised trial, 2001 Do women with PMDD have a different panic response than other women? No. Two stress hormones (vasopressin and oxytocin) increased similarly during a panic test in women with PMDD and in women without PMDD, regardless of where they were in their menstrual cycle. Cohort study, 2001 Do psychiatric symptoms get worse before the period in women with schizophrenia? Yes, overall psychiatric symptoms were worse in the premenstrual phase. However, the psychotic symptoms like hallucinations barely changed, while mood and behavioral symptoms worsened significantly. Randomised trial, 2001 Do changing reproductive hormones disrupt the body's internal clock and cause mood disorders? The authors propose that reproductive hormones may disrupt the body's internal clock in susceptible women, but this is a theory not yet proven. Women have twice the rate of depression as men. Survey study, 2001 Does oral contraceptive use affect daily mood? Yes. Birth control pills can change how mood varies from day to day. The effect depends on what type of pill a woman takes and whether she or her family has a history of psychiatric problems. Review, 2001 Do common health conditions get worse at certain times in your menstrual cycle? Yes. Migraine, epilepsy, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and diabetes can worsen at certain points in the menstrual cycle. Survey study, 2001 Does the menstrual cycle phase affect spatial ability? Yes. Women in the luteal phase scored lower on spatial reasoning tests than women in other menstrual phases, but hormone levels didn't explain why. Survey study, 2001 Do women experience mood disturbance before their period, as premenstrual syndrome suggests? Most women (86%) reported having premenstrual symptoms, but this study found no clear evidence of mood disturbance in the menstrual cycle phase when PMS typically occurs. Review, 2001 How is PMS defined and what is its history? PMS is not a new condition. Doctors described these symptoms as early as 1847, the term premenstrual tension was coined in 1931, and premenstrual syndrome entered medical use in 1953. Survey study, 2001 How common is premenstrual dysphoric disorder and how is it related to other psychiatric conditions? About 75-85% of women report some premenstrual symptoms, but only 10-15% seek care and 2-5% experience serious disruption to work or social life. PMS may worsen other psychiatric conditions. Survey study, 2001 Does how much you tend to worry affect your mood before your period? Yes. Women who scored higher on a personality test for worry and upset feelings reported more negative mood before their period, even accounting for baseline mood. Women taking birth control pills had higher worry scores. Non-randomised trial, 2000 Does fragrance affect sexual arousal and mood differently at different times in the menstrual cycle? Fragrance may have some effect on sexual arousal during the follicular phase, but the effect was small and likely not related to mood. The periovulatory phase was naturally associated with greater arousal and positive mood. Survey study, 2000 Does the menstrual cycle affect how much people smoke or how hard it is to quit? Not strongly. Smoking was slightly higher mid-cycle, and withdrawal was worse in women with depression, but the cycle phase did not strongly predict smoking behavior. Survey study, 2000 What is PMS and how is it diagnosed and treated? PMS is physical or mood symptoms in the second half of your cycle that affect your home, work, or relationships. Diagnosis requires medical history and daily tracking. Treatment starts with behavior changes, then medication if needed. Study, 2000 How is PMS different from psychiatric conditions? The abstract is incomplete and does not provide a complete answer. Review, 2000 What causes premenstrual syndrome and how is it treated? PMS is caused by an abnormal brain response to hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle. Treatment depends on severity and symptoms, ranging from lifestyle changes to medications that increase serotonin and norepinephrine or suppress hormonal changes. Study, 2000 How does depression in women differ from depression in men, and how can it be treated? Depression is twice as common in women as in men. Women experience different symptoms, different patterns of illness, and may respond differently to treatment. Hormonal changes during menstruation, birth control use, pregnancy, menopause, and aging can trigger or worsen depression. Lab study, 2000 Does the menstrual cycle change how your brain responds to sexual images? Yes. During ovulation, the brain showed a larger electrical response to sexual images compared to other image types, but only when women were emotionally processing the images. Study, 2000 How do sex hormones affect spatial thinking during the menstrual cycle? Sex hormones affect how well women perform on spatial thinking tests. Women score higher during the menstrual phase and lower during the midluteal phase. Testosterone helps with spatial thinking, while estradiol makes it harder. Survey study, 2000 Do multiple sclerosis symptoms change at different times in the menstrual cycle? It varies. In some women with MS, neurologic symptoms worsened during the 2 weeks before their period. In others, there was no change across the cycle. Some women also had PMS symptoms. Non-randomised trial, 1999 Do menstrual cycle and oral contraceptive use affect how the body reacts to smoking? Yes. Women using oral contraceptives had stronger cardiovascular reactions to smoking than those not using them, and these reactions varied by menstrual cycle phase. This may contribute to increased heart disease risk. Non-randomised trial, 1999 Does your menstrual cycle phase affect how alert and focused you stay during sleep deprivation? Yes, women in the follicular phase were less alert and performed worse on thinking tasks during sleep deprivation, especially at times when body temperature naturally dips. This is a small study without a comparison group. Survey study, 1999 Does menstrual cycle phase affect mood in women with rapid cycling bipolar disorder? No. This study found no systematic pattern between menstrual cycle phase and mood in women with rapid cycling bipolar disorder, even though some individual women showed a connection. Cohort study, 1999 Does PMDD affect mood, memory and thinking differently across the menstrual cycle? Mood got worse in the luteal (premenstrual) phase for women with PMDD, but memory and thinking problems in that phase happened in both PMDD and non-PMDD women equally, based on this very small study. Review, 1999 Can diet help with premenstrual syndrome symptoms? Yes, several nutrients may help with PMS symptoms, including nutrients that affect serotonin levels, plus magnesium, calcium, and vitamin E. Randomised trial, 1999 Do premenstrual symptoms improve when women with asthma take estradiol during the premenstrual phase? No, estradiol had no significant effect on premenstrual symptoms in women with premenstrual asthma. For some women, symptoms worsened with estradiol. Non-randomised trial, 1999 Do women seeking PMS treatment actually have underlying mood or anxiety disorders? About 39% of women seeking PMS treatment meet criteria for mood or anxiety disorders. Mood disorders were about twice as common as anxiety disorders. Survey study, 1999 Does high stress make the menstrual cycle irregular? No clear pattern was found. While women with irregular cycles tended to report higher stress, stress levels did not consistently predict how long each cycle phase lasted. Survey study, 1999 Do bowel symptoms vary with the menstrual cycle in women with IBS and inflammatory bowel disease? Yes. About two-thirds of women with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis reported that their symptoms got worse with their cycle. Women with IBS and inflammatory bowel disease reported more cyclical changes in bowel habits than women with normal bowel function. Survey study, 1999 How common is PMS in young women and teenagers? Very few young women met strict medical criteria for PMS, but many experienced premenstrual symptoms that significantly affected their daily lives and well-being. Many women had symptoms not formally diagnosed as PMS but still needed attention. Case report, 1998 How should doctors approach women who come in with premenstrual complaints? Doctors should recognize that not all women with premenstrual complaints have PMS as formally defined. Many have other medical, psychiatric or social problems contributing to their symptoms. Survey study, 1998 Does aggression change during different phases of the menstrual cycle? No. Aggression rates did not change across different phases of the menstrual cycle, though women who reported more PMS symptoms showed higher aggression throughout their cycle compared to women with fewer symptoms. Case report, 1998 What treatments help when PMS becomes very severe? Several treatments can help severe PMS, including antidepressants, anxiety medications, and hormones that stop ovulation. The right choice depends on each woman's specific symptoms. Non-randomised trial, 1998 Do irritability and sociability change across the menstrual cycle in women with PMS? Yes, women with PMS show clear and consistent cycle-related changes in irritability and sociability, while women without PMS do not. Survey study, 1998 What is premenstrual syndrome? PMS is a group of emotional and physical symptoms that happen in the second half of the menstrual cycle, likely caused by genetics, hormones, and brain processes. Medications can help, but we need more research to fully understand it. Survey study, 1998 How common is PMS in women of reproductive age and what factors increase the risk? 30.4% had PMS, with most having mild to moderate symptoms. Women with higher stress, depression symptoms, painful periods, and higher education level had higher rates. Non-randomised trial, 1998 Is the stress hormone cortisol different in women with premenstrual depression? Yes, but opposite to regular depression. Women with severe premenstrual depression had low cortisol levels before the period, similar to seasonal depression, while women with mild symptoms had high cortisol. Lab study, 1998 Do magnesium and calcium levels change during the menstrual cycle? Yes, clearly. Magnesium is highest early in the cycle and drops around ovulation and when progesterone is high. The ratio of calcium to magnesium increases during ovulation and the luteal phase. Case-control study, 1998 Does the menstrual cycle affect bowel disease symptoms? Yes, significantly. Women with bowel disease reported much more cyclical bowel symptoms than healthy women, with Crohn's disease patients particularly affected. Survey study, 1997 Does exercise reduce mood problems during the menstrual cycle? Exercise did not reduce negative moods like tension and depression before menstruation. However, exercise improved mood (vigor) during the mid-cycle phase and produced better overall mood stability. Study, 1997 Does your mood really change more across your cycle if you have premenstrual symptoms? Yes, women who report significant premenstrual discomfort show pronounced mood swings across their cycle - with positive moods peaking around ovulation and negative moods peaking around menstruation. Women with very mild symptoms do not show this same pattern. Survey study, 1997 Do menstrual cycle moods and symptoms affect school grades? Yes, but only slightly. Menstrual cycle symptoms predicted grades in 14% of cases premenstrually, 7% during menstruation, and 13% between periods, mostly negatively, though with some positive effects in certain subjects. Lab study, 1997 Does depression get worse during certain parts of the menstrual cycle? Depression-like behavior was stronger during the part of the cycle when progesterone is absent, and stress made this worse. This might help explain why women with depression feel worse during the premenstrual phase. Survey study, 1997 Does learning about PMDD as a diagnosis change how women think about their symptoms? Learning that PMDD is a diagnosis didn't change women's own symptom reports, but it did make them more likely to see premenstrual problems as a psychiatric issue for women in general. Cohort study, 1997 Does pain sensitivity change across the menstrual cycle? Ischemic pain sensitivity (pain from blocked blood flow) increases after ovulation, but heat pain does not change with the cycle. The study was very small. Study, 1997 What are the menstrual and premenstrual experiences of Black women in Zimbabwe? Black Zimbabwean women experience menstruation and premenstruation in ways shaped by culture and education. Professional women and domestic workers report different explanations for why menstruation happens and report different physical and emotional symptoms. Survey study, 1997 Does menstrual cycle phase affect how women perceive things? Menstrual cycle phase overall did not affect perception or mood. However, mood and face perception were linked across the cycle. This small study (24 women) does not show whether mood affects perception, perception affects mood, or both relate to another factor. Survey study, 1997 Does how well runners breathe and perform change during the menstrual cycle? Yes. Women had higher breathing rates, needed more oxygen, and were less efficient at running during the mid-luteal phase compared to the early follicular phase. Cohort study, 1997 Do symptoms of schizophrenia change during the menstrual cycle? Menstrual cycle-related changes occur in women with schizophrenia, but these changes are mainly in mood and body symptoms, not in the core psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia. Survey study, 1997 How do doctors treat mood and energy problems linked to the menstrual cycle? Low mood and low energy linked to the cycle usually occur just before the period. Women with and without these symptoms have similar hormone levels. The difference is how the brain responds. Most women improve with antidepressants (usually SSRIs) and discussing stressful situations. Case-control study, 1997 Are PMDD and eating disorders related? Possibly. PMDD and eating disorders share high rates of mood and anxiety disorders and a personality trait called harm avoidance, but this small study cannot confirm they share a common cause. Non-randomised trial, 1997 Is fluoxetine an effective long-term treatment for PMDD, and what happens when women stop taking it? Fluoxetine significantly improved PMDD symptoms in all 20 women after 6 months, and improvement persisted in those who continued treatment. However, symptoms returned in most women who stopped the medication. Survey study, 1997 How common are premenstrual symptoms, what treatments do women use, and do they work? Between 11-32% reported severe or extreme symptoms, and 85% had tried treatments. Women reported that dietary changes, evening primrose oil, vitamins, and exercise worked best. Survey study, 1997 Do marked mood changes happen mainly before menstruation? Marked mood changes happen just as often after menstruation as before, so cycle phase is not a good predictor of mood. Social relationships predict mood changes much better than cycle timing does. Survey study, 1997 How do hormones, sexual interest, and mood change during the menstrual cycle? Testosterone clearly changes across the cycle. Women without premenstrual complaints had higher estradiol levels and different sexual interest patterns compared to women with complaints. Interview study, 1997 Is PMDD related to other mood disorders like depression? PMDD shares many symptoms with depression and other mood disorders and is classified with them in diagnostic manuals. However, important differences suggest PMDD is distinct, though its exact relationship remains unclear. Non-randomised trial, 1997 Does testosterone relate to aggressive behavior across the menstrual cycle? No clear link. Testosterone levels rose around ovulation but aggressive behavior did not change. Women's emotional symptoms like irritability predicted aggression better than testosterone levels. Cohort study, 1997 Do migraines get worse at certain times in the menstrual cycle? Only 20% of the women showed a significant relationship between their menstrual cycle and migraines. For those who did, the menstrual cycle explained a substantial amount of their migraine patterns, but the study suggests fewer women are substantially affected than previously thought. Survey study, 1997 Does the menstrual cycle affect compulsive hair-pulling? Yes. Women reported premenstrual worsening of hair-pulling urges, frequency, and difficulty controlling the behavior, with improvement during menstruation. Pregnancy effects were variable. Survey study, 1997 What does research show about food intake and mood changes during the menstrual cycle? A review of research found limited scientific evidence for most claims about food affecting mood during the cycle. Health professionals should tell women that the relationship is complex and needs more study. Survey study, 1996 Do psychiatric symptoms get worse during certain phases of the menstrual cycle? Some reports suggest that psychiatric symptoms worsen during premenstrual and menstrual phases, but evidence is limited because most studies have been small and tracked women informally. Randomised trial, 1996 Does paroxetine help PMDD symptoms? Yes. Paroxetine appeared to significantly reduce PMDD symptoms, particularly feelings of worthlessness, low mood, and anger. The study was very small and had no proper control group beyond one placebo cycle, so results are preliminary. Cohort study, 1996 Do PMS mood swings really rise before a period, or is that just how we remember it? In this small study, physical symptoms like fatigue, pain and breast tenderness were confirmed to rise around the period, but mood swings and irritability were not confirmed when tracked day by day, even though women recalled them as worse premenstrually when asked after the fact. Non-randomised trial, 1996 Do women with PMS have different hormone levels? Women with PMS have lower vasopressin levels throughout their cycle, suggesting a biological difference. However, this very small study needs larger confirmation studies. Randomised trial, 1996 Do personality traits change with the menstrual cycle in women with PMDD? Women with PMDD have certain personality traits like passivity and aggression that are consistent with higher depression and mood elevation compared with controls. These traits do not change between menstrual cycle phases. Lab study, 1996 Does sleep change during different parts of the menstrual cycle? Most aspects of sleep stay the same across the menstrual cycle in healthy women. But a specific type of brain wave pattern during sleep (sleep spindles) does vary and is highest during the luteal phase. Survey study, 1996 How does the menstrual cycle affect the link between stress and migraines? The menstrual cycle changed how women coped with stress and how often they had migraines. The connection between stress and migraines was stronger at certain points in the cycle. Survey study, 1995 Do some women report having PMS when they don't actually have it? Some women reported high typical PMS symptoms but their actual daily symptom tracking showed no clear pattern. These women tended to have more negative feelings overall, though the effect was small. Survey study, 1995 What's different about women who seek treatment for premenstrual mood changes? Women seeking treatment reported significantly more depression, anxiety, and unwanted negative thoughts than those not seeking treatment. Both groups had similar physical symptoms. The commonly used 30% improvement rule did not distinguish the two groups well. Survey study, 1995 Do women with premenstrual symptoms have ongoing psychological problems? In the time between periods, women with premenstrual symptoms were psychologically similar to women without symptoms. When recalling periods that included the premenstrual phase, they reported worse mood than they actually experienced. Survey study, 1995 Do diet and exercise affect menstrual symptoms? Yes. During the time before and during your period, higher carbohydrate intake was linked to worse mood and less activity. Lower protein was linked to better mood, and more aerobic exercise was linked to fewer symptoms. Survey study, 1995 Does the menstrual cycle affect social behavior in female monkeys, and what might this tell us about PMS? Yes, female vervet monkeys showed more aggression and avoidance during their late luteal phase. However, the social environment greatly affected behavior, suggesting that not all behavioral changes during the menstrual cycle are directly caused by hormones. Survey study, 1995 Do menstrual cycle phases affect mood and impulsive behavior in women with borderline personality disorder? No clear connection was found between menstrual cycle phase and mood or behavior when women tracked their symptoms daily. However, all women reported premenstrual worsening when asked afterward. None met criteria for severe premenstrual disorder. Randomised trial, 1995 Does menstrual cycle phase affect anxiety response to CO2 in women with panic disorder? Yes. Women with panic disorder showed significantly stronger anxiety during the early follicular phase than the luteal phase after breathing a CO2 mixture. Controls showed no anxiety response. Survey study, 1995 Do women crave salty and fatty foods more during certain phases of their menstrual cycle? No. Women's preferences for salty and fatty foods did not change across their menstrual cycle. What mattered instead was whether women restricted their eating and how much they exercised. Study, 1995 Do women with depression before their period have different brain chemistry than other women? No clear difference was found in brain chemistry between women with depression before their period and control women, even though the test measured a key system involved in mood. Survey study, 1994 Does regular exercise reduce negative mood and pain during the menstrual cycle? Yes. Regular exercisers reported significantly lower scores on negative mood, poor concentration, behavior change, and pain compared to non-exercisers, but similar positive mood levels. Survey study, 1994 Does body image change across the menstrual cycle? Yes. Women feel significantly more dissatisfied with their bodies and more anxious about their appearance in the perimenstrual phase compared to other times of the cycle. Survey study, 1994 Do brain chemicals linked to mood (serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline) look different in women with PMS? Overall levels of these brain chemicals in spinal fluid were not different between women with PMS and women without, but some patterns in how the chemicals related to each other and to hormones did differ. With only 13 women per group, the authors call this preliminary. Survey study, 1994 Do women with PMDD use more cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs at certain times in their cycle? Yes. Women with PMDD increased smoking, alcohol, and other drug use during menstruation. However, the peak use did not match their worst mood symptoms, suggesting it is not simply using these substances to feel better. Survey study, 1994 Does substance use change with the menstrual cycle? No, cigarette smoking, alcohol, and caffeine intake remain stable across all phases of the menstrual cycle and do not change with menstrual symptoms. Study, 1994 Do women with both PMS and anxiety who have family alcoholism drink more before their period? Yes. 74% of women with family history of alcoholism on their father's side reported drinking more before their period, compared to only 22% without this family history. Survey study, 1994 Does the menstrual cycle affect mood and how well women can do physical tasks? Women reported lower energy and worse mood premenstrually and during menstruation, but their actual performance on a computer task did not change with the menstrual cycle. Survey study, 1994 Do women with PMS perceive stress and social support differently at different times in their menstrual cycle? Yes. All women perceived more stressors as severe during the premenstrual phase, but only women with PMS reported lower satisfaction with their social support and self-esteem at that time. This suggests the cycle affects how women with PMS view their stress and relationships. Case-control study, 1994 Does a parent's high blood pressure change how the cycle affects blood pressure and anger under stress? Yes, in this small study family history mattered: women without a hypertensive parent had cycle-linked changes in blood pressure and anger, while women with a hypertensive parent did not show the same cycle pattern but had higher luteal-phase responses overall. Survey study, 1994 What symptoms do teenage girls experience, and do symptoms change during their menstrual cycle? Yes. Girls reported physical and emotional symptoms that were more intense during their period. Girls from the larger city reported more intense symptoms overall than girls from the medium-sized city. Study, 1994 Does PMS affect how fast and accurately women do attention tasks? Women responded more slowly to easier attention tasks before menstruation, but accuracy wasn't affected. After the task, women felt lower in energy and mood before menstruation. Randomised trial, 1994 Does L-tryptophan help premenstrual mood symptoms? In a small uncontrolled study, 13 women improved significantly on L-tryptophan with mild side effects, but because there was no placebo group, we cannot be sure the improvement came from treatment rather than from expectation of improvement. The evidence is weak. Survey study, 1994 Do women with a history of depression experience worse menstrual mood changes? Yes. Women with depression history are more likely to report PMS (31.3%) and their depression during the cycle is more severe and lasts longer. Cohort study, 1994 Who finds cervical laser surgery painful? Young women who have never given birth, are anxious, or have a history of painful periods experience more pain during cervical surgery. Premenstrual syndrome scores did not predict surgical pain. Survey study, 1993 Which menstrual symptoms are most common and how do lifestyle and age affect them? Bloating, backache, and headache are the most common. Symptoms vary significantly based on education level, whether you live in a city or rural area, age, and weight, suggesting both biology and lifestyle matter. Non-randomised trial, 1993 Does dietary calcium and manganese affect menstrual cycle symptoms? Yes. Higher calcium intake reduced mood, concentration, behavior symptoms, pain during menstruation, and water retention before the period. The study was very small and done in a lab setting. Case report, 1993 Can extreme sleepiness around periods be linked to prolactin and a medication called metoclopramide? In one woman, severe sleepiness tied to her menstrual periods continued even after her periods stopped with metoclopramide, and this sleepiness was linked to high prolactin levels, but this is a single case and cannot tell us how common or treatable this is in general. Non-randomised trial, 1993 Does stopping menstruation with a GnRH agonist reduce PMS symptoms? In women with PMS alone, yes. Six of seven had significant symptom reduction including near-complete relief of premenstrual depression. In women with PMS and depression, the treatment did not help. Survey study, 1993 Does the menstrual cycle affect how well women do at computer tasks? No, computer task performance and thinking ability showed no change across different phases of the menstrual cycle. Non-randomised trial, 1993 Does fluoxetine (an antidepressant) help severe PMS? In this uncontrolled trial, 10 women taking fluoxetine had moderate to marked symptom relief, and 7 maintained relief after stopping. Without a control group, we cannot be sure the improvement was from the drug. Survey study, 1993 Do women with diabetes have different menstrual symptoms than women without diabetes? Yes. Women with diabetes reported changes in blood sugar around their period. They also had later periods starting in life, more irregular cycles, and less severe PMS compared to women without diabetes. Case-control study, 1993 Are hormone levels different in women with PMS? Possibly. Women with PMS had lower ACTH levels during the luteal phase, and different subgroups showed different hormone patterns, suggesting multiple biological subtypes. Study, 1993 Does the ability to think clearly change with the menstrual cycle? Yes. When women were tested in their premenstrual phase versus their preovulatory phase, they showed more difficulty suppressing irrelevant information and following instructions. The difficulty was more pronounced in women who reported worse premenstrual symptoms. Case-control study, 1993 Do women with both anxiety disorder and PMS have worse anxiety, and does the menstrual cycle affect it? Women with both anxiety disorder and PMS had worse symptoms in both menstrual phases, with clear worsening premenstrually. Even when assessed once, their ratings were influenced by how bad they felt premenstrually. Review, 1993 Does the menstrual cycle affect depression and other mood disorders? For some women who have existing mood disorders, the premenstrual phase can increase vulnerability to severe depression or make ongoing depression worse. The paper reviews evidence for this link. Cohort study, 1992 What role do hormones play in mood problems linked to the menstrual cycle? Hormones can trigger mood problems in a small percentage of women who are vulnerable, often those with a history of depression. The menstrual cycle may act as a biological trigger in susceptible women. Study, 1992 Do antidepressant levels change during your menstrual cycle? In these two women, antidepressant blood levels went up and down during the premenstrual part of their cycle. Study, 1992 What physical and emotional symptoms happen at different times of the menstrual cycle, and why? A study of 79 women found that physical and emotional symptoms happen throughout the entire menstrual cycle. These symptoms are connected to how the brain works. Survey study, 1992 Does the menstrual cycle affect mood, especially in women who exercise hard? Women with regular periods showed marked negative mood changes before menstruation compared to mid-cycle. Heavy endurance running training worsened overall mood. Survey study, 1992 Do women with digestive problems experience worse stomach symptoms during their period? Yes. Women with functional bowel distress reported significantly worse stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhea during menstruation compared to women without bowel problems. They also had more stomach pain on other days of the cycle. Survey study, 1992 Do women with more premenstrual symptoms have unhelpful thinking patterns? Women reporting more premenstrual symptoms had higher scores on the 'need for comfort' thinking pattern, indicating they struggled more with stress. We don't know if unhelpful thinking causes symptoms or symptoms cause unhelpful thinking. Cohort study, 1992 Do standard depression tests detect mood changes linked to PMS? The Beck Depression Inventory detected mood changes in women with PMS, while another test did not. This suggests PMS depression is mainly about negative thinking rather than physical symptoms. Interview study, 1992 Can eating carbohydrates help ease PMS symptoms by increasing serotonin in the brain? There is evidence that carbohydrates may help ease PMS symptoms by boosting serotonin, a brain chemical that controls mood and eating. Women with PMS who crave carbohydrates may be trying to boost serotonin naturally. Case-control study, 1992 Do women with severe premenstrual irritability have different hormone levels than other women? Yes, in this small study. Women with severe premenstrual irritability and low mood had higher free testosterone at all three cycle points tested, and higher DHEA and 17-OH-progesterone at some points, compared with women without premenstrual complaints. Cohort study, 1992 Does sexual arousal change at different times during the menstrual cycle? No. Sexual arousal in response to erotic material stayed stable across the menstrual cycle, with only minor physical variations. Survey study, 1992 Does removing the uterus reduce PMS symptoms? Yes. Removing the uterus resulted in a 66% reduction in premenstrual symptoms. However, one woman still had mood symptoms after surgery, suggesting the uterus is not the only factor involved. Survey study, 1992 Why has it been so hard to define premenstrual syndrome? Despite 58 years of research since 1931, doctors and researchers still cannot agree on what PMS is or which doctors should treat it. The paper argues that cultural beliefs about women have shaped how medicine understands PMS. Non-randomised trial, 1991 Does atenolol help depression that comes before periods? No. Atenolol at 100 mg daily did not improve mood compared to placebo. This suggests that if bright light helps PMS depression, it may work through other mechanisms besides melatonin reduction. Study, 1991 Do women with premenstrual depression have different brain chemistry responses? Yes. Women with premenstrual depression had smaller growth hormone and cortisol responses to a chemical test throughout their cycle, suggesting abnormal brain chemistry that may interact with normal cycle changes. Interview study, 1991 Can eating carbohydrates help ease PMS symptoms by increasing serotonin in the brain? There is evidence that carbohydrates may help ease PMS symptoms by boosting serotonin, a brain chemical that controls mood and eating. Women with PMS who crave carbohydrates may be trying to boost serotonin naturally. Randomised trial, 1991 Does fluoxetine help women with late luteal phase dysphoric disorder? Yes. Nine out of 10 women taking fluoxetine improved, compared to 2 out of 10 on placebo, and all who took fluoxetine wanted to continue it. Survey study, 1991 Do birth control pills affect mood during the menstrual cycle? Yes. Women taking birth control pills reported more positive feelings than those not taking them, with positive feelings higher than negative feelings throughout the cycle for both groups. Study, 1991 Do women who've had a hysterectomy still get premenstrual symptoms? Yes. Most women who have had a hysterectomy but still have ovaries continue to have cyclic mood and physical symptoms. However, symptoms clustering late in the cycle (like traditional PMS) were less common than in women who still menstruate. Lab study, 1991 Does your mood and how your body feels change during your menstrual cycle? Yes. Both women with normal cycles and those with irregular cycles reported more negative moods and worse physical feelings in the premenstrual phase than in the middle of their cycle. Interview study, 1991 Is premenstrual depression the same as depression from a mood disorder? For many women with PMS, the depression before their period is similar in type and severity to major depressive disorder, except it lasts shorter. Women with a history of depression after childbirth were more likely to have severe premenstrual depression. Cohort study, 1990 Does anxiety get worse before the period in women with panic disorder? Women with panic disorder reported afterward that their anxiety was worse before their period, but their daily diary records did not consistently show this pattern. The answer depends on how you ask the question. Study, 1990 Does mood or stress response change at different times of your menstrual cycle? No clear differences were found. The study showed that mood and how blood pressure and heart rate respond to stress are similar shortly after menstruation and just before the next menstruation. Study, 1990 Does the menstrual cycle change how much lithium stays in your blood? No. The menstrual cycle does not appear to affect blood lithium levels. Survey study, 1990 Do bowel symptoms get worse during menstruation? Yes. 34% of women without IBS reported gas, diarrhea, or constipation during menstruation, and women with IBS were significantly more likely to experience these symptoms during their period. Survey study, 1990 Does PMS come from a broken stress hormone system? Women with PMS had a few small differences in their stress hormone (cortisol) responses compared to women without PMS, but their overall daily cortisol output was normal. This suggests only mild, temporary hormone shifts that the body seems able to correct on its own. Survey study, 1990 Do hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle cause mood changes in healthy women? In healthy young women, hormone changes do not cause marked mood changes. Physical symptoms like breast tenderness and abdominal pain do occur, particularly before and during menstruation. Survey study, 1990 Can premenstrual anxiety and depression be confirmed with objective tests? Yes, women with reported premenstrual anxiety and depression had higher objective test scores in the premenstrual phase. Results suggest two populations: one with pure PMS and another with underlying depression that worsens premenstrually. Cohort study, 1990 Can premenstrual depression predict whether a woman will develop major depression later? Yes, women whose premenstrual depression scores are higher have a greater risk of developing major depression in the future, and this predictive value holds even after accounting for family history and past depression. Lab study, 1990 Does sleep change during the menstrual cycle, and is this linked to mood? Yes. The timing of deep sleep changes during the menstrual cycle, and women with premenstrual mood symptoms sleep less of a restorative type of sleep. Case-control study, 1990 Do women with menstrual-related mood disorders perceive life events differently during their cycle? Women with menstrual mood disorders reported significantly more negative events and experienced more distress from the same events during the premenstrual phase. This suggests perception changes with cycle timing. Survey study, 1990 Do women's food preferences change during their menstrual cycle? Yes. Women ate and preferred sweet foods significantly more during their premenstrual period, but preferences for other foods did not change. This is a small study without a control group. Survey study, 1989 How common is premenstrual syndrome in female nursing students? Only 6% of nursing students met criteria for premenstrual syndrome, with significant changes in just 3 symptom areas. Findings may vary by culture. Case-control study, 1989 Does eating carbohydrates help depression during the late luteal phase in women with severe PMS? Yes. Women with severe PMS significantly increased their calorie and carbohydrate intake during the late luteal phase, and a carbohydrate-rich meal improved their depression and mood symptoms during this time, but not during other cycle phases or in control women. Cohort study, 1989 Do women with premenstrual depression have different sleep patterns? Yes. Women with premenstrual depression had more light sleep and less dream sleep overall, but these patterns did not clearly worsen before their period. Study, 1989 Do menstrual cycle hormones cause premenstrual syndrome, and can stopping ovulation help? Stopping ovulation significantly reduced physical and mood symptoms, suggesting hormones are involved. However, some women still had symptom flare-ups even when hormone levels showed no ovulation, showing the link between hormones and symptoms is more complex than expected. Study, 1989 Do women with PMS think differently from women without PMS? No. Women with PMS do not show the changes in thinking that typically happen with depression, even though they have significant mood symptoms. Study, 1989 Are there differences in how the brain processes language during different parts of the menstrual cycle? In women who experience worse mood before their period, the brain processes language differently and they perceive fewer positive words in the premenstrual phase compared to the follicular phase. Survey study, 1989 Do mood disorders affect premenstrual depression and attention across the cycle? Only 8 of 16 women with a mood disorder history actually had premenstrual depression when tracked daily. Those who did showed worse mood premenstrually, but both groups showed the same attention patterns in both phases. Survey study, 1989 Are there neurochemical differences in the premenstrual phase for women with menstrual migraines? Women with menstrual migraines show reduced brain hormone responses to a nerve-stimulating drug during the premenstrual phase, but not other times. This suggests a specific nerve system weakness that may explain premenstrual migraines. Review, 1989 How should premenstrual syndrome be diagnosed and treated? Daily symptom diaries kept for at least two months are essential for accurate diagnosis. Treatment focuses on reassurance and stress management rather than correcting a single underlying problem, since the cause is unclear. Study, 1989 Can talking therapy help with mood changes before your period? In this small study, four women with mood changes linked to their menstrual cycle improved with psychological therapy. Lab study, 1989 Do women with severe premenstrual symptoms respond to stress differently? During mental tasks, women with mild or no severe symptoms showed smaller heart rate responses in the premenstrual phase than the postmenstrual phase, but women with severe symptoms did not. Survey study, 1989 Do anxiety and brain activity change with the menstrual cycle in healthy women? Brain wave frequencies decreased before menstruation, but anxiety and reaction time did not change significantly across the cycle in most women. Only women with high baseline anxiety showed premenstrual anxiety increases. Survey study, 1989 Do women's memories of premenstrual depression match their daily mood ratings? Only about half of women who reported major premenstrual depression on a questionnaire showed matching depression in daily tracking. Women with confirmed depression had worse energy and physical pain too. 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. Cohort study, 1989 Are soccer injuries more common at certain times of the menstrual cycle? Women soccer players had more traumatic injuries during the premenstrual and menstrual period compared to other times in their cycle, especially if they had symptoms like irritability, breast swelling, or abdominal swelling. Women using birth control pills had significantly fewer injuries. Survey study, 1989 Do women's beliefs about PMS affect their memory of their symptoms? Yes. Women who believed PMS causes distress remembered their menstrual symptoms as worse than their daily records actually showed. Physical symptoms varied by cycle phase, but mood symptoms did not. Survey study, 1988 Do women blame different things for their moods at different cycle stages? Yes. Women tended to blame health problems for bad moods before their period, but blamed environment and lifestyle for good moods. However, these attribution patterns did not match whether women actually had menstrual complaints. Case-control study, 1988 Are hormone levels different between women with menstrually related mood disorder and healthy women? No significant differences were found in hormone levels or patterns between the two groups, suggesting that PMS is not caused by simple hormone deficiency. Study, 1988 Do women's body chemistry responses to an opiate drug differ between menstruation and ovulation? Yes. Growth hormone response was weaker during menstruation than at ovulation. Prolactin was about 1.5 times higher at ovulation. Other hormones and mood did not clearly differ. Survey study, 1988 Do mood and sexual interest change during the cycle, and do birth control pills change these patterns? Most women reported the lowest well-being and sexual interest before their period and highest after it. Birth control pills flatten these variations, with different types of pills having different effects. Survey study, 1988 Do some women feel better around their period? Yes. Between 5 and 15 percent of women report feeling more excited, energized, and content during the perimenstrual phase. Many also report increased sexual interest and better performance on some tasks. Cohort study, 1988 What makes a woman more likely to have PMS that's confirmed by daily tracking rather than just by memory? Working outside the home was linked to a higher chance of having confirmed PMS, and being older was linked to a lower chance; but strictly defined PMS, confirmed by daily mood tracking, turned out to be uncommon even among women who thought they had it. Study, 1988 Does removing the uterus stop PMS symptoms? No. One woman continued experiencing PMS symptoms even after having her uterus removed. Her mood and physical symptoms still worsened in the second half of her ovarian cycle. Survey study, 1988 Do women with premenstrual syndrome have abnormal opioid hormone activity during the menstrual cycle? The study found differences in how hormones respond to naloxone in women with PMS compared to controls, especially in the days before menstruation. The abstract is incomplete, so full findings are not presented. Survey study, 1987 Do food cravings change during the menstrual cycle? Yes. Both food cravings and the amount women ate were higher in the 10 days before menstruation than in the 10 days after. This difference was not explained by mood changes. Survey study, 1987 Is mood different during the menstrual cycle in women who report menstrual symptoms? Women who reported fewer menstrual symptoms had higher mood overall, but they paradoxically showed worse mood specifically during menstruation. This raises questions about how reliable women's self-reports of symptoms are. Survey study, 1987 What is the relationship between mood disorders and the menstrual cycle? The paper suggests that PMS, which involves mood, thinking, and behavioral symptoms, might help researchers understand how biology affects mood regulation. The exact relationship remains unclear. Lab study, 1987 Does the menstrual cycle change how your body's stress hormone system responds? No. Baseline stress hormone levels and the body's response to a stress hormone injection did not change across different menstrual cycle phases. Survey study, 1987 Does binge eating in bulimia get worse before your period? Yes, this small study found a modest but statistically significant increase in binge eating during the premenstrual phase in women with bulimia. Study, 1987 Does the menstrual cycle change how the brain processes sound? No. The brain's processing of sound did not change between the day before menstruation and 9 days after cycle start, despite significant mood changes. Case report, 1987 Can women with premenstrual mood changes develop serious mood disorders? In some women with premenstrual mood changes, a serious mood disorder called manic-depressive illness may develop, but mainly in those with genetic predisposition. Doctors should watch for severe mood problems after pregnancy in women with this pattern. Study, 1987 How do job stress and teamwork affect cycle length, regularity, and cycle synchrony? Women in jobs where teamwork was high or moderate had synchronized cycles. Women with high job stress and anxiety had longer, less regular cycles. Women in high-stress, low-teamwork jobs did not sync with coworkers. Study, 1987 Does stopping ovulation with buserelin help PMS? For some women yes, but for others it makes things much worse. Half improved with lasting symptom relief for 5 to 15 months, while half had severe side effects and stopped within 2 months. Study, 1987 Do women's TV preferences change during their menstrual cycle? Yes. Women in the premenstrual and menstrual phases preferred comedy more than women in the middle of their cycle. However, how much they actually enjoyed the comedy did not change across the cycle. Cohort study, 1986 Is PMS mainly about symptoms worsening before your period, or is there more? Women with PMS have higher depression, anxiety, and tension even in the early part of their cycle. Some symptoms do worsen premenstrually, but baseline mood appears to be the bigger issue. Survey study, 1986 Does marijuana use change across the menstrual cycle? No. In women without severe PMS, marijuana use did not vary across the menstrual cycle, even though physical symptoms like pain and water retention worsened before and during menstruation. Survey study, 1986 Does asthma get worse during certain phases of the menstrual cycle? About a third of women with asthma reported significant worsening of symptoms during the premenstrual and menstrual phases. Women with cycle-related worsening were more likely to have been hospitalized for asthma. Survey study, 1986 Can nutrition and diet changes help with PMS symptoms? Research on the nutritional theory of PMS is controversial, but practical diet changes may help. Eating balanced meals, limiting salt and caffeine, choosing complex carbohydrates over refined sugar, and getting enough calcium may improve symptoms. Large supplement doses are not recommended. Study, 1986 Do women with menstrually-related migraine have different hormone levels than women with epilepsy? Yes, women with menstrually-related migraine had lower progesterone and estradiol levels than women with epilepsy. Their endorphin levels near menstruation showed a different pattern than the epilepsy group. Survey study, 1986 Are hormone level changes linked to premenstrual mood and behavior changes? Yes. Peak progesterone levels, the rate at which progesterone decreased, and the ratio of progesterone to estradiol decrease rates were associated with premenstrual mood and behavior changes. There was a 4 to 7 day delay between hormone changes and mood changes. Lab study, 1986 Does alcohol affect you differently at different times in your menstrual cycle? No clear difference. Women's bodies processed alcohol similarly at different cycle phases, and alcohol's effects on memory, balance, and attention were not significantly different by cycle phase. Survey study, 1985 What is the best way to diagnose and measure premenstrual syndrome? A proper PMS diagnosis requires clear changes in symptom intensity between menstrual and premenstrual phases, measured across at least two cycles. Emotional symptoms are the most common complaint. Study, 1985 Is a hormonal problem the cause of PMS? No clear hormonal abnormality has been found in women with PMS. Only 2-8% of women report severe PMS, and some may be biologically vulnerable, possibly due to how they respond to hormones. Randomised trial, 1985 Does what women expect to feel affect their reports of menstrual cycle symptoms? Yes. Women told the study focused on menstrual cycle symptoms reported significantly more negative psychological and physical symptoms during the premenstrual and menstrual phases than women and men not given this information. Survey study, 1985 Do personality and anxiety traits change across the menstrual cycle? Women reporting premenstrual symptoms had higher scores on personality and anxiety measures throughout their entire cycle, not just before their period. During the luteal phase (before the period), their anxiety scores were even higher than in the follicular phase. Survey study, 1985 What is premenstrual syndrome and how is it treated? Premenstrual syndrome is a collection of physical and emotional symptoms that affect 5 to 20 percent of menstruating women. Treatment options include lifestyle changes, counseling, medication, and birth control pills, and satisfaction with treatment is commonly achievable. Survey study, 1985 What did doctors know about PMS diagnosis and treatment in 1985? There was no agreement on how to diagnose PMS or what to treat it with, though doctors recognized a link between PMS and mood disorders like depression. Cohort study, 1985 Is PMS connected to mood disorders like depression, and how should it be studied? This review argues PMS does seem related to major mood (affective) disorders, but says much past research has been flawed, and that tracking symptoms day-by-day as they happen gives more reliable answers than asking women to recall them later. Case-control study, 1985 Do women with PMS show different hormone patterns and ovulation timing after the corpus luteum is removed? Yes. Women with PMS took longer to ovulate after corpus luteum removal (21 days versus 19 days in controls) and had lower FSH levels, suggesting their hormonal feedback system is more sensitive. Study, 1985 What psychological patterns do women with PMS show? Women seeking treatment for PMS show various psychological patterns. About 36% have normal psychological profiles, while 25% have depression year-round, and 42% report marriage distress. Case report, 1985 Does blood lithium level change with menstrual cycle mood changes? Yes. This single woman showed that her blood lithium level changed in sync with her mood swings: highest during depression, lowest during hypomania, even though she took the same dose every day. Survey study, 1985 Do changes in serotonin levels across the menstrual cycle explain mood changes? Serotonin levels change across the cycle, but these changes don't clearly explain mood changes. The connection between the two is more complicated than a simple link. Non-randomised trial, 1985 Which women with PMS will respond to treatment and which to placebo? Among 31 women claiming PMS, 21 had confirmed symptoms across multiple cycles and were less likely to respond to placebo. Placebo reduced mood symptoms significantly but had no clear effect on physical symptoms. Survey study, 1984 Do moods change during different phases of the menstrual cycle? In this study, most university women aged 18-30 did not experience clear changes in mood or psychological distress during different cycle phases. Even women who attended a psychiatric clinic showed no clear changes. Survey study, 1984 What did researchers in the 1980s understand about how the menstrual cycle affects mood? This older review says many women notice mood changes across their cycle, and the researchers' own work found hormone disturbances and psychological difficulties in women with premenstrual syndrome, but the condition was still poorly understood and under-researched. Survey study, 1984 How do pain sensitivity and anxiety change through the menstrual cycle? Anxiety and a brain chemical were only linked during the menstrual phase. Pain sensitivity did not clearly change through the cycle. Study, 1984 What is premenstrual syndrome and what treatments have been suggested? Premenstrual syndrome is a long-term, repeating disorder with emotional, behavioral, and physical symptoms in the week before menstruation. The cause and best treatment are unknown, though vitamin B6, progesterone, and bromocriptine have been suggested. Survey study, 1984 Why do PMS studies give such different results? Because researchers have not carefully defined what PMS is, chosen groups of women who are similar to each other, or asked clear questions before starting their studies. Review, 1983 Does intense athletic training disrupt menstruation? Athletic training can disrupt periods, especially with significant weight loss and stress, though the causes are similar to non-athletes. This is a literature review, so certainty is limited. Study, 1983 What causes premenstrual mood changes—hormones, psychology, or both? Premenstrual mood changes are most likely caused by ovarian hormones like progesterone and estrogen, but psychology and personality also play a role. About 30% of women of reproductive age experience these changes. Interview study, 1983 Does mood and physical distress follow a pattern through the menstrual cycle? Yes. Mood peaks in the late follicular phase and declines in the luteal phase. Physical distress increases in the second half of the cycle and peaks in the late luteal phase. Survey study, 1983 Does sexual interest change during the menstrual cycle? Yes, sexual interest and activity vary across the cycle, peaking in the postmenstrual phase and again just before menstruation, but not around ovulation. Study, 1983 Does muscle tension increase during the premenstrual phase of the cycle? Yes. Women had higher muscle tension in their forehead during the premenstrual phase. Women with more forehead tension predicted they would have more premenstrual symptoms. Study, 1983 Do women with premenstrual syndrome have different psychological patterns than other women? A small study found that women with diagnosed premenstrual syndrome had anxiety and depression appearing only in the second half of their menstrual cycle, while women without PMS did not. This suggests true PMS may differ from other menstrual symptoms. Survey study, 1983 Does the menstrual cycle cause mental health problems? The menstrual cycle likely does not cause mental health problems on its own. The authors argue that mood and mental health are affected by a combination of hormonal changes, personality, stress, and life circumstances. Survey study, 1982 Do women without mental health problems experience mood and anxiety changes during their cycle? Women without current or past mental health issues experienced only minor cycle-related mood changes. Water retention was the only symptom that reached statistical significance. Survey study, 1982 Does mood change during the menstrual cycle? Group data showed some mood changes across the cycle, with fatigue and depression lower before menstruation and anger lower during menstruation. But individual tracking showed few changes, and women's memories of their moods did not match their daily recordings. Non-randomised trial, 1982 Does a human pheromone affect mood at different times of the cycle? Possibly: women exposed to a pheromone in the middle of their cycle rated themselves as less aggressive, but it did not affect happiness, energy, sexiness, or irritability. This is a very small uncontrolled study. Survey study, 1982 Are premenstrual and menstrual symptoms separate problems or part of one larger problem? They appear to be part of one larger problem. Although some symptoms are worse before your period and others during it, the symptoms largely overlap. Study, 1981 Does alcohol affect anxiety differently depending on where you are in your menstrual cycle? Yes. Anxiety increased more with alcohol during the luteal phase (before your period) than during the follicular phase (first half of cycle). However, this was a very small study, so results may not apply widely. Study, 1981 Do premenstrual tension symptoms go away after hysterectomy? No, cyclical mood and physical changes linked to the menstrual cycle continue after hysterectomy in women who had premenstrual tension syndrome, which suggests the cause is hormonal rather than related to the uterus itself. Survey study, 1981 Do teenage girls experience mood changes around their period? No. Teenage girls tested just before or during their period did not show different anxiety or depression levels compared to times tested at other parts of their cycle. A control group of teenage boys also showed no mood changes across time. Study, 1980 Does sexual arousal change during the menstrual cycle? Yes, when women report without knowing the study tracks cycles, sexual arousal is lowest when progesterone is high and highest around ovulation. When women know what's being tracked, they report differently, showing that awareness affects how people report feelings. Study, 1980 Does mood and sleep change during the menstrual cycle? Overall, no clear pattern was found across the group as a whole. One woman showed mood dips during her cycle and changes in sleep stages, but the other three women showed no cyclic changes. Review, 1980 Why do women's moods change during their menstrual cycle? Mood changes during the cycle are linked to changing levels of estrogen and progesterone, which affect brain chemistry. Both hormones and psychology likely play a role. Study, 1980 Is progesterone deficiency the cause of premenstrual syndrome? Progesterone deficiency is probably not the cause. The study found higher progesterone levels in women with PMS during the postovulatory phase, suggesting the problem is not too little progesterone. Cohort study, 1979 Do women's moods change with the menstrual cycle? Many women report cyclical mood changes across their menstrual cycle with irritability and depression in the premenstrual and menstrual phases and better moods mid-cycle, but scientists do not know whether hormones, psychology, or social factors cause these changes. Study, 1979 Does the brain chemical serotonin change during the menstrual cycle and cause mood changes? Serotonin levels in the brain change during the menstrual cycle in a way that matches hormone changes, and these changes appear to cause many of the mood, activity, and pain changes that happen during the cycle. Survey study, 1979 Do hormone levels explain why women have premenstrual symptoms? No. Women with more premenstrual symptoms had similar progesterone and oestradiol levels to women with fewer symptoms, suggesting hormones alone may not explain PMS. Survey study, 1979 Do moods and enjoyment of activities change during the menstrual cycle? When healthy women kept daily records, there were no clear changes in mood or enjoyment of activities during different cycle phases. But when they looked back on a monthly questionnaire about menstrual distress, they reported the typical cycle-related differences. Survey study, 1979 Are moods linked to hormone levels during the menstrual cycle? In this group of healthy women, mood and enjoyment of activities did not change during different cycle phases, and there was no relationship between mood and the levels of reproductive hormones. Non-randomised trial, 1978 Does anxiety increase during menstruation? According to this study, yes. State anxiety (how anxious someone feels right now) was raised during menstruation, and the amount of increase depended on each woman's baseline anxiety tendency. However, the study is small, from 1978, and notes that women may have exaggerated their symptoms. Study, 1978 Do women blame the menstrual cycle for their moods and symptoms? Women's beliefs about whether their moods come from the cycle vary depending on pill use. Pill users thought the cycle caused their premenstrual moods more often than non-pill users. Case report, 1978 Can psychosis come back regularly with the menstrual cycle? Yes, in these 7 women, psychosis came back regularly with their menstrual cycle. A change in brain chemicals linked to the menstrual cycle might be involved, possibly triggered by emotional stress or other causes. Survey study, 1978 What beliefs do young people have about menstruation before and after it starts? Young adolescents, even before their first period, believe menstruation brings physical discomfort, mood changes, and disrupted activities. These beliefs are largely negative and similar across pre-menarcheal girls, post-menarcheal girls, and boys. Survey study, 1976 Does premenstrual anxiety and depression affect how well women think? Women reported more anxiety and depression before their period, but this mood change did not affect how well they performed on thinking tests. Survey study, 1975 Do people blame biology for bad moods that occur before menstruation? Yes. People are more likely to explain negative moods before menstruation as caused by biology. They also tend to blame personality rather than the situation when mood does not match what is happening around them. Study, 1975 What causes estrogen-withdrawal migraine and can estrogen supplements prevent it? Migraine happens when estrogen levels drop after being high for several days. Estrogen supplements taken before the period did not prevent menstrual migraines. Study, 1975 Does physical and mental work capacity change during the menstrual cycle? Physical exertion feels harder during menstruation and reaction time is slightly slower. Heart rate and oxygen use do not change. Overall mental work capacity does not clearly change. Survey study, 1975 Does speaking become less fluent before your period? Yes, in this small study women had noticeably more speech disfluencies (stumbles, restarts) just before their period than at ovulation. Survey study, 1975 Does a mother's menstrual cycle affect how she responds to her child's illness? Yes, mothers about to have or having their period were more likely to bring their children to the doctor than other women. However, their children were actually less sick than the children brought by other mothers. Survey study, 1972 Do mood changes during the menstrual cycle relate to salt balance and weight? Yes, there was a clear link between mood changes and changes in salt balance during the menstrual cycle. Weight also changed along with mood. Survey study, 1972 How does the menstrual cycle affect mood and sexual arousal? The menstrual cycle affects mood in women. The strongest effects occur before the period, when some women become depressed or irritable. Physical symptoms also accompany these mood changes. Randomised trial, 1972 Does birth control change mood and premenstrual symptoms? Birth control reduced irritability and aggression between periods and made cycles shorter, more regular, and less painful. It also caused nausea, vomiting, water retention, and drowsiness. We cannot be very confident because this was a tiny study of only 8 women. Review, 1971 Could hormone-driven changes in brain chemicals explain premenstrual mood swings? This 1971 review suggests that shifting levels of ovarian hormones (estrogen, progesterone, aldosterone) during the cycle may affect mood by altering brain chemicals called monoamines, but this is a theory built from combining older human and animal studies, not a new trial in women with PMS. Study, 1967 Is attempted suicide linked to when you are in your menstrual cycle? Hospital records from two large mental hospitals showed psychiatric emergencies and attempted suicide were most common during the first 4 days of menstruation, compared with other times of the cycle. Study, 1965 How common are premenstrual symptoms and what treats them? About 40% of women experience weight gain, abdominal pain, and irritability before their period. These symptoms often improve with a water pill and eating less salt during the week before menstruation. Survey study, 1964 How common are mood and physical changes around menstruation? Very common. One in nine women reported severe pain, irritability or headache, and one in four had moderate to severe premenstrual tension. Psychological symptoms were linked to personality traits related to anxiety. Study, 1942 What causes premenstrual tension and can progesterone help? The paper reviews existing theories suggesting premenstrual tension is caused by too much estrogen or problems with progesterone, but this is a discussion of ideas rather than results from a new study. Show more studies Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗