Effect of menstrual distress on task performance

Abstract

Women have periodic physiologic change of menstruation. There is a possibility to be influenced the physical and mentally in the female. It is necessary to support a comfortable life and work for female. The relationship between workload and stress that was taken the menstrual cycle into consideration had been examined on mental tasks in this research. Menstrual phase, follicular phase and premenstrual phase of menstrual cycle were focused and analyzed. The survey was conducted to grasp the menstrual cycle of the subjects. The experiment was consisted of two kinds of tasks. As the results of the survey and the experiment, it was suggested that there were differences on task speed, stress, and sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve activity due to menstrual complaints. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.