Mood and the menstrual cycle: a review of prospective data studies.

Background: The human menstrual cycle (MC) has historically been the focus of myth and misinformation, leading to ideas that constrain women's activities.

Objectives: We wished to examine one pervasive idea, that the MC is a cause of negative mood, by studying the scientific literature as a whole. We briefly reviewed the history of the idea of premenstrual syndrome and undertook a systematic review of quality studies.