EFFECT OF MENSTRUATION ON ACADEMIC-PERFORMANCE AMONG COLLEGE-WOMEN

Women''s performance and affective patterns fluctuate with their menstrual cycle with poor mental performance being more common during menstruation and prior to onset. The scholastic performance of academically advanced women is less likely to exhibit the usual menstrual decline since they are motivated enough to exert to compensatory effort on off-days. The academic performance of volunteers in a college psychology course was followed by administering biweekly course tests to measure performance. The subjects filled out menstrual calendars, indicated their SAT [Scholastic Aptitude Test] scores, and answered questions from a standardized test of academic motivation. The paramenstruum (the time of menstrual stress) was defined to be the 4 days prior to onset and the first 4 days of menstruation; the other days in the cycle comprise the intermenstruum. On all 8 tests, the difference between paramenstrual and intermenstrual performance (adjusted for aptitude and motivation) was insignificant.