One woman's low is another woman's high: Paradoxical effects of the menstrual cycle.
Although past research on affective changes associated with the menstrual cycle has focussed on a specific pattern commonly referred to as Premenstrual Syndrome, there are compelling reasons to hypothesize that an opposite pattern, with a mid-cycle increase and a premenstrual low in symptoms, may also exist. Focusing on depression and anxiety, the present study tested whether this mid-cycle pattern of symptoms could be identified, using a sample of 213 female university students, who completed daily questionnaires for two menstrual cycles. Results confirmed the existence of a group of women who demonstrate the mid-cycle pattern of symptom changes (13%), in addition to the classic PMS pattern (61%), and individuals demonstrating no cyclical pattern of symptoms (26%). Moreover, women with a strong PMS pattern showed lower average levels of depression/anxiety than women with no cyclical changes. These findings require that current conceptions of menstrual-cycle related psychological changes be redefined to include the mid-cycle pattern, and suggest that women with strong PMS symptoms may actually benefit from a mid-cycle sense of wellness.
Kiesner
Jeff
J
Dipartimento di Psicologia DPSS, Università di Padova, via Venezia 8, 35131 Padova, Italy. jeff.kiesner@unipd.it
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D009862:Online Systems; D011293:Premenstrual Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016387:Women's Health; D055815:Young Adult