Relationships Between Self-Reported Symptoms of Infection, Menstrual-Cycle-Related Distress, and Cycle Phase

• Published in: Behavioral medicine (Washington, D.C.) Vol. 19; no. 1; pp. 13 - 19
• Main Authors: Groër, Maureen, Carr, Judith, Younger, Mary Sue
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC Taylor & Francis Group 01.03.1993; Heldref
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Biological and medical sciences; Communicable diseases; Depression; Disease Susceptibility - immunology; Disease Susceptibility - psychology; Female; Humans; Immune Tolerance; Infection - immunology; Infection - psychology; infections; Medical sciences; menstrual cycle; Middle Aged; Mood disorders; Personality Inventory; premenstrual distress syndrome (PMS); Premenstrual syndrome; Premenstrual Syndrome - immunology; Premenstrual Syndrome - psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychoneuroimmunology; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychophysiologic Disorders - immunology; Psychophysiologic Disorders - psychology; Relationship; Human; Mood disorder; Immune response; Menstrual cycle; Vaginal diseases; Premenstrual syndrome; Vaginitis; Woman; Immunity; Stress; Female genital diseases
• ISSN: 0896-4289; 1940-4026
• DOI: 10.1080/08964289.1993.9937560

This study examined the relationships between symptoms of common infectious illnesses, menstrual cycle phase, and cycle-related distress. Sixty-five women who had regular menstrual cycles and were not taking birth control pills were the convenience sample for this research. Subjects completed the Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQ), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and an investigator-developed symptom checklist (SCL) that inventoried symptoms of common respiratory, skin, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary infections. The subjects completed all questionnaires three times during the menstrual cycle (during menstruation, midcycle, and premenstruum). The results of the study indicated a highly significant clustering of infectious illness symptoms during the perimenstrual period compared with midcycle. There were significant relationships between scores on the MDQ and PSS and the frequency and intensity of infection symptoms throughout the cycle. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) of the effects of phase, PSS, MDQ, and SCL scores revealed that phasic influences were not significant when MDQ scores were controlled. PSS and MDQ scores significantly influenced symptom scores when phase was controlled, suggesting a general relationship between distress and infectious symptoms during the menstrual cycle.