College women's attitudes and expectations concerning menstrual-related changes

Mood across the menstrual cycle and number of menstrual symptoms reported: a cross-sectional study

This study assessed mood among 110 women at three phases of the menstrual cycle and its relationship with the number of reported menstrual symptoms. Women who reported fewer menstrually-related symptoms tended to have generally higher mood scores, but specific depression of mood during menses was found among the subgroup of women who reported fewer menstrual symptoms. Contraceptive pill usage was not related to mood variation across the menstrual cycle. The findings raise questions about the validity of self-reports of menstrually-related symptoms.

The relationship between retrospective premenstrual symptom reporting and present oral contraceptive use

The premenstrual assessment form (PAF) was used to assess the degree and type of premenstrual changes reported by 101 oral contraceptive users and 149 non-users (aged 18-45 yr) attending general health and gynaecology clinics. Women using oral contraceptives did not complain of fewer or less severe symptoms overall, but their severity scores on the subscales of premenstrual anxiety, fatigue, low mood, water retention, and impaired social functioning were significantly lower than those of non-users. The duration of oral contraceptive use and the type of preparation (combined or phased) taken were not related to the degree of premenstrual change reported. Complaints of symptoms beginning more than two days before menstruation were less frequently reported by pill-users (p less than 0.01) and were associated with a greater severity of all types of premenstrual change (p less than 0.0001). Women who had experienced difficulties tolerating oral contraceptives reported a greater number of moderate/severe premenstrual changes (p less than 0.0001).

Fluctuations in mood and psychological distress during the menstrual cycle

This paper examines fluctuations in mood and symptoms associated with psychological distress during the phases of the menstrual cycle in two samples of university women. The first (Study I) sample of women (N = 162) was randomly selected from the University population. The second sample (Study II) was women (N = 138) who attended a psychiatric clinic. The subjects completed a questionnaire which included measures of depression, anxiety and general psychological distress. Information about the menstrual cycle and contraceptive pills was elicited from the subjects who were unaware that affect during the menstrual cycle was being studied. In study I there were no significant differences in depression, anxiety or psychological distress between phases of the cycle. The results of study II indicated that even in a group of women with emotional problems, it was not possible to demonstrate an increase in the average severity of mood disturbance or psychological distress during any phase of the menstrual cycle. It was concluded that in general, university women between the ages of 18-30 who are mostly single, nulliparous, with or without significant psychopathology, seeking or not seeking psychiatric help do not experience significant or disruptive fluctuations in mood and symptoms of psychological distress during the phases of the menstrual cycle. Women who are afflicted with distressing and incapacitating cyclical fluctuations are best studied as a vulnerable subgroup.

Correlates of dysmenorrhea. A challenge to past stereotypes

A study was conducted to explore the relationship of demographic variables, gynecologic history variables, and menstrual attitudes to three measures of dysmenorrhea derived from the Menstrual Distress Questionnaire. One hundred ninety-three women, 18 to 35 years old, from five neighborhoods in a large, metropolitan city comprised the sample population. The strongest correlates found were attitudes toward menstruation, though associations between dysmenorrhea and items reflecting traditional/feminist dimensions were absent. Further precision in defining dysmenorrhea and a comprehensive, health-oriented approach to dealing with menstrual distress is indicated. Recommendations about the nurse's role in counseling dysmenorrheic women and promoting more positive menstrual attitudes are discussed.

Self-reports of menstrual and nonmenstrual symptomatology in university-employed women

To describe the pattern of menstrual and nonmenstrual symptomatology and to clarify the number, kind, and severity of symptoms that women report in relation to the menstrual cycle, a study of university-employed women was conducted. A cross-sectional correlational approach to survey data was used. The sample consisted of 633 generally healthy women aged 21 to 44 years. Results indicated that a wide range of variability in terms of the number of symptoms reported and the mean severity level was experienced. Additionally, a variety of different types of symptoms (somatic, affective, concentration, and behavioral) were reported.

Menstrual symptoms in college students: a controlled study

Thirty-five male and thirty-five female subjects completed daily a checklist consisting of 15 symptoms commonly associated with menstrual distress. Premenstrual, menstrual, and midcycle days' ratings were compared within and across groups. Males and females did not differ in symptom ratings during the premenstrual and midcycle periods. Females reported experiencing more sharp cramps, dull cramps, stomach pain, and bloating during the menstrual period. Females reported these symptoms to be only modestly distressing.

The premenstrual syndrome. A psychological evaluation

The aim of the present study was to verify the presence of certain psychological factors in women complaining of the premenstrual syndrome which would differentiate these women from others. Of 42 women initially interviewed, 25 were finally selected for study, on the basis of clear premenstrual/menstrual symptoms. Twenty-three women who did not suffer premenstrual symptoms acted as controls. Women suffering from the premenstrual syndrome had significantly higher levels of 'trait' anxiety (STAI), 'neuroticism' (EPI-B), and more negative attitudes towards their bodies, genitals, sex and masturbation, as measured by a 'Role Acceptance Scale'. Both premenstrual syndrome sufferers and controls held negative attitudes toward menarche and menses.

Menstrual symptoms: a social cognition analysis

Research on menstrual-related cyclicity often reflects assumptions concerning the generality, severity, and physiological basis of symptoms associated with the menstrual cycle. According to arguments presented in recent articles, these assumptions are not fully justified by the empirical data. In addition, there is evidence that symptom associations may be viewed a reflecting, in part, a set of beliefs. In the present article evidence is reviewed which suggests that symptom associations may originate and be maintained by means of biases in the processing of information about cyclicity. Specifically, the origins of biased beliefs may arise from the connotative meaning of, the salience of, and selectivity in processing the information forming the association. In addition, mechanisms which have been tribute to the maintenance of biased perceptions, once associations have been formed, include distortion, autonomy, and category accessibility of the evidence.

Stress and menstrual distress

The relationship between stress and menstrual distress is considered in response to three questions: (1) How stressful are menstruation and its associated events? (2) What factors serve to make menstruation stressful? (3) What are the effects of stress upon the menstrual cycle? Included in the analysis are estimates of the incidence of negative symptoms associated with the menstrual cycle, other indicators of the stressfulness of the premenstrual and menstrual phases, adrenal factors, animal studies, and suggested directions for research and practice.

Premenstrual symptoms: a reinterpretation

Conclusions regarding the physiological basis and disruptive effects of premenstrual symptoms may be biased because of the reliance on self-report questionnaires as a source of data. In order to examine this possible bias, women's perceptions of their cycle phase were separated experimentally from actual cycle phase. Women who were led to believe that they were premenstrual reported experiencing a significantly higher degree of several physical symptoms, such as water retention, than did women who were led to believe they were intermenstrual. Thus, because of these psychosocial influences on symptom reports, it seems necessary to reexamine previous conclusions regarding the magnitude of menstrual-related changes as well as their physiolocical basis.