Anxiety and mood fluctuation during the normal menstrual cycle.

Eleven women with an average age of 23 were evaluated daily for pregnanediol excretion, mood, and behavioral fluctuations during the menstrual cycle. Subjects carefully screened for present and preexisting psychopathology experienced only minor fluctuations in rating on the Moos Menstrual Distress questionnaire (MDQ), only the water retention achieving significance. The other scales on the MDQ and the Spielberger State Anxiety Scale had nonsignificant premenstrual elevations.