Study Finds Menstrual Cycles Have No Impact on Women’s Cognitive Abilities

A meta-analysis of over 100 studies found no evidence that a woman’s cognitive abilities fluctuate throughout her menstrual cycle.

While conditions such as PMDD, dysmenorrhea, and endometriosis can be severely debilitating—especially when individuals lack social support—ordinary menstruation does not seem to affect cognitive function as commonly believed.

Historical Bias and Research Gaps

Research in this field has historically faced challenges such as small sample sizes, limited cognitive assessments, and the longstanding marginalization of women’s health in scientific studies.

Despite widespread cultural and personal beliefs about “period brain” affecting half the population, scientific evidence remains insufficient.

Daisung Jang, an organizational behaviorist from the University of Melbourne, conducted a meta-analysis of 102 peer-reviewed studies examining cognitive performance across different phases of the menstrual cycle.

The analysis compiled data from nearly 4,000 menstruating women, evaluating their cognitive performance across various stages of their cycles. The study assessed factors such as attention, creativity, executive function, intelligence, memory, motor skills, spatial ability, and verbal ability.

To qualify for inclusion, the studies had to specify the number of women assessed for cognitive ability on particular days of their menstrual cycle.

The analysis excluded research that could introduce confounding variables, filtering out studies with keywords like “pregnancy,” “infection,” “disorder,” and “cancer.” As a result, the findings apply only to typical menstrual experiences.

The dataset was limited to female participants, meaning the results may not extend to people of diverse genders. Additionally, only studies published in English were included.

Hormonal Fluctuations and Cognitive Stability

Hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, and luteinizing hormone fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle, influencing receptors across the body, including in the brain. However, Jang’s team found that variations in cognitive performance were so minimal and inconsistent that they were deemed statistically insignificant, offering no evidence that menstruation affects cognitive ability.

“This lack of findings is somewhat surprising given the numerous documented physiological changes that occur across the cycle,” the researchers noted.

These hormonal shifts may be too subtle to impact cognitive function, or as the authors suggest, women might compensate for them in ways that remain unexplored.

For centuries, the belief that menstrual cycles hinder cognitive function has held women back. Some may find it difficult to imagine going about daily life while secretly dealing with pain and hormonal fluctuations every few weeks.

The findings don’t rule out the possibility that menstruation-related brain changes could impact cognition differently among individuals for reasons not explored in this study. Such variability could obscure any broader patterns.

Previous research has found little difference in hormone levels between menstruating individuals with and without premenstrual stress symptoms. This suggests that PMS is more about how each person’s body responds to hormonal changes rather than the hormone levels themselves.

“Physiology does not appear to be destiny with respect to cognitive ability,” the researchers note.

“Our findings challenge misconceptions and myths, as well as discriminatory practices, since we found no scientific basis for doubting women’s cognitive abilities due to their menstrual cycle.”

Read the original article on: Science Alert

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