Investigation of emotional and cognitive changes in luteal and follicular phases in women with premenstrual syndrome

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a psycho-neuroendocrine disorder characterized by psychological and somatic symptoms that appear during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and disappear during the follicular phase. In the PMS literature, whereas information about emotional symptoms are consistent, it's not clear how cognitive processes are simultaneously affected with these changes. In this study, it is aimed to determine whether emotional and cognitive functions show simultaneous changes between luteal and follicular phases among a sample including women with and without PMS, and if there is a significant differentiation, it is aimed to determine by neuropsychological methods. The study was conducted with 41 volunteer women aged 18-39 have regular menstrual cycles. Participants were divided into two groups with similar distribution in terms of sociodemographic and menstrual characteristics as PMS (n = 23) and control (n = 18) according to the Premenstrual Syndrome Scale. Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and a series of neuropsychological tests were applied to the groups twice in the follicular and luteal phases. According to the data obtained, in the group with PMS compared to the control group, emotional measurements and most of the cognitive abilities (learning, shortterm and long-term visual memory, sustaining attention, susceptibility, inhibition, ability to change setup, etc.) were statistically at the luteal stage compared to the follicular stage it was determined that there was a significant decrease. However, it was determined that both groups were affected in working memory and psychomotor speed parameters in the luteal stage. In future studies, determining the causal mechanism of the observed changes and to what extent they interfere with daily life will contribute significantly to develop diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.