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menstrual cycle

·October 14, 2025·8 min read

Exercise Boosts Women’s Brain Power More Than Ovulation Timing

While women’s reaction times and accuracy peak during ovulation, physical activity level plays a far greater role in cognitive performance. Inactive participants had reaction times around 70 milliseconds slower and made three times as many impulsive errors compared to active women, regardless of menstrual phase.

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·June 5, 2024·7 min read

Women’s Menstrual Cycle Positively Impacts Cognition

Women perform better on cognitive tasks during menstruation, despite expecting worse performance. The study highlights how cognitive abilities fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle. Findings suggest potential implications for injury prevention and women's health.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 13, 2023·4 min read

How Menstrual Cycles Shape Women’s Memory and Brain

Research reveals a notable interplay between fluctuating ovarian hormones during the menstrual cycle and structural adaptations within women's brains, particularly in regions vital for cognitive function. Utilizing a meticulous approach, researchers tapped into 7 Tesla MRI and blood sampling across six menstrual cycle points to observe how estradiol and progesterone influenced medial temporal lobe and hippocampal regions, pivotal areas for episodic memory and spatial cognition.

This shows a woman looking out of a window

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 28, 2021·5 min read

Menstrual Cycle Impacts PTSD Symptoms

The menstrual cycle may affect how PTSD symptoms are expressed and the severity of symptoms. Researchers found PTSD symptoms were elevated during the first days of the cycle when estradiol levels were low, and fewer symptoms were experienced closer to ovulation.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 25, 2019·4 min read

Some women with psychotic disorders are more vulnerable around the time of menstruation

A new study confirms the link between menstruation and worsening of psychosis symptoms in women with mental health disorders. Researchers found psychiatric admissions for women were one-and-a-half times higher during the time of menstruation.

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·September 12, 2018·4 min read

The Scent of a Woman

University of Bern researchers report that reproductive hormones don't only regulate fertility, they also are related to how attractive a woman smells to the opposite sex.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·September 13, 2017·5 min read

When Music Makes Male Faces More Attractive

Exposure to music, specifically complex and highly stimulating music, leads women to rate male faces as more attractive and increases willingness to date the men pictured, a new study reports.

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·July 19, 2017·2 min read

Why Some Women Are More Likely to Feel Depressed

A new study published in the journal Menopause finds longer duration of estrogen exposure from the start of menstruation until the onset of menopause is associated with a reduced risk of depression in women.