r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • 18d ago

Neuroscience Research found no evidence to support myth that women’s cognitive abilities change across menstrual cycle. Given physiological changes that occur across menstrual cycle, the changes to the brain are either small enough that they don't influence performance or women compensate for these changes.

https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/womens-menstrual-cycles-dont-change-the-way-our-brains-perform
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u/Potential_Being_7226 PhD | Psychology | Neuroscience 17d ago

This study excluded women with any clinical diagnosis. 

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u/cwthree 17d ago

So, menstruation per se is not associated with cognitive changes. Clinically significant disorders that involve menstruation may affect cognitive function, just like - surprise! - clinically significant disorders that don't involve menstruation.

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u/round-earth-theory 17d ago

It shouldn't come as a shock that debilitating pain is...debilitating.

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u/9J000 17d ago

The roads aren’t wet but water is

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u/dedededede 17d ago edited 17d ago

There are studies that suggest up to 10% of women suffer from PMDD. I wonder if factoring stuff like this out is like like saying "carcinogens don't cause cancer, btw we exclude cancer patients from the study."

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u/IAm_Raptor_Jesus_AMA 17d ago

So then it's completely useless?

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u/Potential_Being_7226 PhD | Psychology | Neuroscience 16d ago

I would say it’s inconclusive.