Premenstrual emotional changes a prospective study of symptomatology in normal women.

Fifty-one subjects completed a modified version of the Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire daily for 8 weeks. The true purpose of the study was not revealed. These prospective data showed no pattern of increase in symptoms of negative affect during the premenstrual or menstrual phases, although the majority of women retrospectively reported having experienced premenstrual tension during the study. Explanations for this discrepancy in terms of an information processing bias and the popularising of internal hormonal explanations are offered. A number of demographic and menstrually related variables are investigated and found to show no relationship to the experience of PMT in this sample. No evidence is found to suggest that older women are more likely to experience PMT.