The Demise of Dissent and the Rise of Cognition in Menstrual-Cycle Research

Sexing the Phallocentric Pages of Psychology: Repopulation is Not Enough

Whilst the case for the repopulation of psychology made by Billig is supported in principle, it is argued that repopulation without serious reassessment of the underlying phallocentric bias in psychology is not enough. It may even act to reinforce reactionary tendencies within the discipline through coating them in a veneer of liberalism. Following critiques of the inherent sexism in both science and psychology, feminists have already moved to repopulate the discipline, taking a more radical step than is suggested by Billig's `Median Case Reconstruction'. Critiques of objectivity and neutrality, increased reflexivity, and acknowledgements of subjectivity are commonplace in feminist psychology. Yet as feminist critiques and genuine repopulation threaten the very foundations of psychology, it is not surprising that they are not readily accepted by the academic gatekeepers. It is concluded that only a paradigm shift will allow Billig's arguments to be taken seriously in mainstream psychology, and a feminist analysis suggests that this is a long way off.

Mood and Well-Being in Consecutive Menstrual Cycles

The level of consistency of cyclical change in well-being between consecutive menstrual cycles has important methodological, clinical, and theoretical implications. In this study, 109 women completed daily diaries of mood and physical well-being for two consecutive menstrual cycles. Scores in equivalent cycle phases were highly correlated, but the degree and direction of change from the pre-post menstrual phase were less consistent between cycles. Physical experiences proved more consistent across cycles than did emotional ones. Only 5.4% (nonsteroidal contraceptive users) and 7.8% (oral contraceptive users) of Cycle 2 emotional score variance could be accounted for by Cycle 1 scores compared to 15% and 22%, respectively, for physical scores. The data indicate that premenstrual experiences vary between menstrual cycles, and suggest that they cannot be adequately explained on the basis of simple biological determinism. Methodological and theoretical implications of the results are discussed.

What are young undergraduate women's qualitative experiences of the menstrual cycle?

The dominant ideology of the premenstrual woman is that of a person who has no control over her moods, cognition and behaviour because of her fluctuating hormone levels. The social influence of this stereotype has been put forward as an explanation for discrepancies between retrospective and prospective accounts of premenstrual experiences. However, recent research has found that women can and do distinguish between their own experience and that of the stereotype. What their own experience is (positive as well as negative) was the question that we set out to answer in this study. Nine undergraduate women were interviewed about their menstrual cycle experiences. Using qualitative analysis of their subjective accounts, a clear distinction between self and other premenstrual experiences emerged. While the women did experience premenstrual symptoms, they considered them to be relatively minor in comparison to what they defined as premenstrual syndrome. Furthermore, none of them had previously considered any positive menstrual cycle related experiences but the management of menstruation was emphatically viewed as a 'hassle'. We conclude that women can and do distinguish their own experience from the premenstrual stereotype and this needs to be recognized in the treatment setting; there is a lack of positive discourse for the menstrual cycle which needs to be developed and more attention needs to be paid to menstrual management because it is of great concern to women but is currently not discussed openly.

The premenstrual syndrome--a reappraisal of the concept and the evidence

The Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) remains a controversial issue. As a clinical concept it is surrounded by confusion. Attempts to establish a consensus definition have resulted in the majority of women seeking help for such problems excluded from the diagnosis. Furthermore, there is no consensus about how such problems should be treated, with a variety of methods being advocated usually on very uncertain scientific grounds. The issue also has its political implications; there are those who see PMS as a way of reducing the status of women, by linking the normal ovarian cycle to a phenomenon which, on the face of it, impairs women's ability to cope. Yet there are a substantial number of women who experience significant negative changes which vary with the menstrual cycle, and produce long-term effects on their well being and family relationship which can be serious. There is also a real possibility that recurrent perimenstrual mood changes of this kind may increase the likelihood of chronic depressive illness in susceptible individuals. In most respects the features of depression which occurs perimenstrually are essentially similar to those of major depressive disorder, except for the short duration and recurrent pattern. PMS, therefore, remains an issue not only of clinical importance, but of considerable potential relevance to our understanding of major depressive disorder, which is substantially more common in women of reproductive age than in their male counterparts. In this review the concept of PMS, and some prominent operational definitions of it, are critically evaluated; it is now questionable whether the concept, as currently applied, still carries any heuristic or clinical value. Some current theoretical and aetiological issues are considered: e.g. the role of the corpus luteum, the effects of hormonal regimes which block ovulation, such as oral contraceptives, and the possibility that cyclical mood change represents an entrained rhythm in the brain. The conclusions reached at this stage in the review lead to a 'paradigm shift' with the proposal of a three-factor model to account for the complexities of menstrual cycle-related problems.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)