Aerobic Exercise Acutely Reverses Negative Mood Occurring In The Mid-luteal Phase Of The Menstrual Cycle

Abstract

PURPOSE: Over 80% of women report a more negative mood state during the luteal phase compared to the follicular phase of their menstrual cycle. Mood is acutely improved following aerobic exercise. Thus, aerobic exercise may be capable of normalizing mood during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. We tested the hypothesis that prior aerobic exercise would eliminate differences in mood state between the mid-luteal and mid-follicular phases of the menstrual cycle. METHODS: 12 recreationally active eumenorrheic women (25 ± 6 y) completed ~30 min of aerobic exercise, which consisted of 10 min of steady state aerobic exercise and an 8 km cycle time trial, during the mid-follicular and mid-luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. Participants completed a Profile of Mood State Questionnaire (POMS) pre-exercise and 20 min post-exercise. The POMS provided indices of confusion, tension, depression, vigor, fatigue and anger, from which total mood disturbance (TMD) was calculated (higher scores = more negative mood). Data are presented as T-scores (a.u.). RESULTS: Pre-exercise tension (42 ± 10 vs. 39 ± 7, P<0.01) and anger (41 ± 4 vs. 39 ± 4, P=0.04) were elevated and vigor (35 ± 11 vs. 42 ± 11, P<0.01) and TMD (174 ± 26 vs. 162 ± 31, P<0.01) were lower in the mid-luteal vs. the mid-follicular phase. Confusion and depression did not differ between phases pre-exercise (P≥0.56). Fatigue did not differ between phases at any time (P≥0.57) nor change from pre- to post-exercise (P≥0.15). Confusion, tension, depression, and vigor decreased from pre- to post-exercise in the mid-luteal and mid-follicular phases (P<0.01), but there were no differences between phases at post-exercise (P≥0.06). Anger decreased from pre- to post-exercise in the mid-luteal (38 ± 1, P<0.01) but not the mid-follicular phase (37 ± 1, P=0.08), which eliminated differences between phases post-exercise (P=0.57). TMD decreased from pre- to post-exercise in both phases (P<0.01) and there were no differences between the mid-luteal (142 ± 17) and mid-follicular (136 ± 16) phases post-exercise (P=0.16)._ CONCLUSION: Women experience a more negative mood state during the mid-luteal compared to the mid-follicular phase. Aerobic exercise acutely normalizes these differences in mood state by eliminating menstrual cycle dependent differences in vigor, anger, and tension.