A new study breaks the myth that when women are on their periods, their cognitive functioning, performance as well as well-being is affected.

“As a specialist in reproductive medicine and a psychotherapist, I deal with many women who have the impression that the menstrual cycle influences their well- being and cognitive performance.” said Brigitte Leeners, from University Hospital of Zurich in Switzerland.

Previous theories have suggested the main idea that the menstrual cycle has been linked to cognitive performance. But a recent research published in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience has found no association between menstrual cycle and changes in cognitive functioning.

To prove this, researchers tested three major aspects of cognitive function in 88 menstruating women from Hannover, Germany, and Zurich, Switzerland and found they were not affected by the hormonal changes involved. In other words, when women are on their periods, their ability to pay attention, working memory as well as cognitive functioning is not affected.

The team looked for differences in performance between individuals and changes in individuals’ performance over time and found none. “The hormonal changes related to the menstrual cycle do not show any association with cognitive performance,” said Leeners.