Late luteal phase dysphoric disorder symptoms (PMS) among women presenting for counseling services

Abstract

Changes in mood, behavior, and physiology, beginning in the post-ovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle and ending with the onset of menstruation, have been called premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, and have been the focus of much investigation. Research to date has demonstrated greater emotional arousal and distress experienced by women during the luteal phase of the cycle as opposed to the follicular phase. This study collected descriptive profiles of current mood states, physiological symptoms, and menstrual cycle information from 62 women on the day on which they presented to a university counseling center for psychological services. It was hypothesized that a larger proportion of individuals would present on a walk-in basis for intake during the luteal phase of the cycle as opposed to the follicular phase. This hypothesis was tested with Chi-Square analysis of differences in frequency of subjects in each of the two phase groups. The second hypothesis was that individuals in the luteal phase would display higher levels of mood disturbance (as measured by the Profile of Mood States and the Beck Depression Inventory) and somatic symptomatology (as measured by the Menstrual Cycle Symptom Scale),than individuals in the follicular phase. This hypothesis was tested using multiple regression analysis, using affective and somatic variables as predictors of cycle day. Post hoc analyses for differences between menstrual phase groups on the affective variables were performed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA).The results of this study indicated no relationship between menstrual cycle phase and self-presentation for counseling services. They also indicated no relationship between menstrual cycle day and either subjective distress or somatic symptomatology. Finally, with minor exceptions, no differences were found between menstrual cycle phase groups in their self-perceived distress or emotional states.Discrepancies between the results of this study and previous research were discussed. In particular, methodological differences (e.g., use of state vs trait measures of mood variables) highlight the poor design and generalizability of previous research. Suggestions for future studies were presented as well as limiting factors in this study. These include the need for a larger number of participants and the use of hematologic cross-checks to more precisely determine cycle phase. Investigations into the way in which menstrual cycle affects mood are warranted.