Women often face mood swings, severe cramps, and fatigue during menstruation, eventually making it impossible for many to perform their tasks. Surprisingly, with these changes, we stopped seeing some advantages that, honestly, are game-changers. Recent studies have reported that women during their period are likely to perform better than other days. The performance of menstruating women is better during menstruation than in any other phase, with better reaction times and fewer errors, according to the journal Neuropsychologia. To better understand the situation, a survey was conducted with a sample of the population in which they performed some cognitive tests to understand attention span.
The study included men and women for comparison, according to The Guardian. Also among women, they considered different groups, such as those who menstruate regularly, those who have irregular menstruation, and pregnant women. Additionally, they used period tracking apps to understand which of the 4 period phases women were in. They were also asked to add their moods and other information for better analysis. The results suggested that women who were menstruating paid more attention to details than when they were not menstruating.
A shocking discovery added that although women had mood swings present, they were able to make fewer errors and respond faster than other non-menstruating participants. Dr. Flamina Ronca, lead author of the study, highlighted the surprising results. She said: “What is surprising is that the participants’ performance was better when they were on their period, which challenges what women and perhaps society in general assume about their abilities at this particular time of the month.”
Dr. Paul Burgess, lead leader of the study, recalled that the idea for the experiment came from female soccer players who were tested on their skills during menstruation. He said: “As football players had told us, the data suggested that menstruating women, whether athletes or not, tend to vary in their performance at certain stages of the cycle. “As a neuroscientist, I am surprised we don’t know more about this and hope that our study helps motivate growing interest in this vital aspect of sports medicine.”
In conclusion, the study mentioned that women are likely to perform better on cognitive tasks during the menstrual stages and worse in the luteal stages. “The convergence of faster reaction times, reduced variability, and fewer errors within the same phase provides a strong indication that a cognitive advantage may be present during menstruation,” the study said. Furthermore, he revealed that the “incongruence” between women’s performance due to their menstrual cycles is expected to generate a “positive perspective” and offer sporting behavior in this regard.
The hope that comes from this evidence is that women will not be underestimated because of their menstrual cycles. Furthermore, doctors and researchers noted that there is much room and reason for further exploration and study. However, they have shared their goal of raising awareness about the potential of women. Understanding and manipulating tasks according to cycle phases, especially during menstruation, can increase opportunities from which women would otherwise be excluded.
