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Effect of oral contraceptives and some psychological factors on the menstrual experience

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Christina M. Harding ,
Carey Vail  and
Robert Brown
Christina M. Harding
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, University of Exeter
Carey Vail
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, University of Exeter
Robert Brown
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, University of Exeter
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Summary

Fifty-seven women (mean age = 23·5 years), half of whom used an oral contraceptive, completed Moos' menstrual distress questionnaire at each of the three menstrual phases. In addition they kept menstrual diary cards for 50 days, recording days on which menstrual blood loss occurred. During an intermenstrual phase, they completed: a general information questionnaire with questions on menstrual, socialization and demographic variables; Eysenck's personality inventory; the multidimensional health locus of control scale; the Bern sex role inventory; and a measure of preventive health behaviour. Analyses investigating the effects of pill use and psychological factors on the incidence and intensity of menstrual distress found few significant associations between these measures, especially when symptom changes over the menstrual cycle were the dependent variables. The implications of these results for the aetiology of menstrual distress are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 17 , Issue 3 , July 1985 , pp. 291 - 304
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1985

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