Women may use PMS, or premenstrual syndrome, to explain irritable behaviour that occurs within the days before their dreaded periods.
But a new study conducted by a small group of female scientists from the University of Toronto says there is no direct correlation between PMS and negative moods.
The aim of the new study, published in an online journal Gender and Medicine, was to eliminate the social stigma that surrounds a woman’s mood during her menstruation period.
Researchers wanted to introduce the idea that temperament is not affected by menstruation, but is rather a social concept ingrained in girls from a young age.
“Before women even get their first period, they have heard about PMS,” the website said.
The study showed that while physical symptoms, such as bloating and stomach pain exist, mental symptoms such as mood swings and irritability are rather a long-held social belief that a woman’s temperament changes in the days before her menstrual cycle.
According to the study, of the 47 research studies examined, only seven (or 14.9 per cent) found a direct connection between a woman’s temperament and her premenstrual phase.
“Given that attitudes toward menstruation are widely negative, women’s expectations of themselves during menstruation may be negative as well,” the study stated.
First-year Carleton University criminology student Brandee Watson said she disagrees with the findings.
“During the menstrual cycle, your hormones are completely out of balance so it makes sense for you to be more irritable,” she said.
“Things aggravate you a lot more during your period than they would during any other time.”
Second-year Laurentian University English student Alison Garwood said she feels the study’s findings are paving the way for women to be more in control of their own emotions.
“I think there’s a social stigma attached to every woman because when a guy talks about a woman’s period they automatically correlate it with a girl being moody and irritable, but a girl can be moody and irritable anytime, it doesn’t have to particularly be when she’s on her period,” Garwood said.
“I think it’s just an excuse for women to unleash their frustrations during that time,” she said.
“If more women recognized the legitimacy of the study, a change could occur that would allow women to have more control over their emotions.”
