Effects of Premenstrual Syndrome and Giving Birth on Women’s Cognitive Abilities

INTRODUCTION: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a cyclic disorder that affects many young and middle-aged women that arises during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and meliorates during the follicular phase. Neuropsychological symptoms of PMS have been researched as well as other symptoms. However, previous information about the effects of PMS on cognition is not univocal. Therefore, this study is conducted to contribute to the literature. The previous research does not include the long-term effects of giving birth on cognition. Therefore, the present study is conducted to examine the long-term effects of motherhood on cognitive functions.
METHODS: In this study, women in the luteal phase and follicular phase were compared to examine the effects of PMS on cognition. Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory were applied to discriminate the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PMS. PMS screening tool was applied to determine whether PMS exists or not. Tests that measure visual memory, verbal memory, attention and concentration, visuospatial organization, and executive functions were conducted.
RESULTS: In this study, we found that PMS significantly affects attention and concentration (Digit Span Forward Test p = 0.023). We could not find any significant effect of PMS on visual memory, visuospatial organization, executive functions, and verbal memory. The same group was compared as nulliparous and parous to examine the long-term effects of giving birth on cognitive abilities. The results showed no significant effect of giving birth on attention and concentration, visual memory, verbal memory, visuospatial organization, and executive functions.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: We conducted this study because the information about the effects of PMS was not solid. Furthermore, previous studies did not investigate the long-term effects of giving birth on cognition. In this study, the effects of PMS on cognitive functions were investigated and we found that PMS affects attention and concentration. In addition, we studied the effects of giving birth on women’s cognitive functions. We could not find any significant long-term effect of giving birth on women’s cognitive functions. The study’s sample size was limited because to the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies with greater sample sizes are thought to produce superior findings.