The role of emotion regulation in the experience of menstrual symptoms and perceived control over anxiety-related events across the menstrual cycle.

Hormonal variation throughout the menstrual cycle is posited to impact various physical and mental health symptoms; however, this is not observed in all women and mechanisms are not well understood. Difficulty in emotion regulation may elucidate differences that women experience in physical and mental health functioning between menstrual phases. We examined the moderating role of difficulty in emotion regulation in the relation between menstrual phase and menstrual symptom severity and perceived control over anxiety-related events, in healthy, regularly menstruating women.