Mood and Well-Being in Consecutive Menstrual Cycles

Abstract

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.