European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Background:At various times during her cycle, a woman experiencing her menstrual cycle may experience a number of physical and mental symptoms that may have differing effects on her working memory. This study was carried out on forty healthy female interns to assess working memory during the premenstrual and postmenstrual phases because the medical field places a premium on high levels of cognitive ability, particularly working memory, for the purpose of making challenging and time-sensitive decisions.
Methods:The Self-Ordered Pointing test and the Brown-Peterson task were utilised in this study to perform an evaluation of participants' working memories. In order to evaluate the difference in working memory between the two stages, a paired t test was carried out.
Results:The number of errors was significantly higher (p = 0.022) in the postmenstrual period (5.31.56) compared to the results of the test during the premenstrual phase when the results of the Self-Ordered Pointing test were analysed (4.31.15). The Brown Peterson task findings showed that the individuals' total number of letters remembered was significantly less (p = 0.041) in the postmenstrual period (26.32.16) than in the premenstrual phase (27.22.44).
Conclusion:According to the findings, working memory task performance was strong throughout the premenstrual phase. Since the findings of the current study are supported by earlier research, it is believed that oestrogen secreted in connection with the menstrual phase plays a role in maintaining sharp working memory during the premenstrual phase.