India, April 19 -- A woman goes through four phases - follicular, ovulation, luteal, and premenstrual - in her menstrual cycle, with hormones fluctuating in each phase. Much like how moods are affected, it is generally believed that cognitive abilities like decision-making or focusing may also be hampered. Many women's thoughts are dismissed by men, brushed off with a laugh, saying they aren't thinking clearly because they're PMSing and 'it's that time of the month.'

But a study published in March 2025, in PLOS One, changed the narrative and revealed that there's no strong evidence to support changes in cognitive abilities across different menstrual phases.

The researchers wanted to understand if hormones mess with the head. But through...