[Ovarian cycle and school-notes (scores) (author's transl)]

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Gynecology
• Educational Psychology

Context:

• Adolescent girls (14-16 years) with regular menstrual cycles were studied.
• Dictation tests in Slovakian language were administered daily throughout the school day.
• Statistical analysis was performed on dictation errors, correlated with menstrual cycle phases.

Purpose:

• To investigate the influence of the menstrual cycle on cognitive performance, specifically writing accuracy.
• To identify specific menstrual cycle phases associated with decreased or increased writing errors.
• To explore potential variations in this relationship based on individual performance levels.

Summary:

• Significant differences (P < 0.001) in writing accuracy were observed across the four menstrual cycle phases.
• The highest number of errors occurred during the premenstrual phase and the first four days of menstruation.
• Girls in the best performance tercile achieved optimal writing postmenstrually, while medium and lower performers peaked during menstruation.

Impact:

• Highlights the cyclical nature of cognitive function in adolescent females.
• Suggests potential for tailored educational support based on menstrual cycle phase.
• Provides a basis for further research into hormonal influences on neurocognitive tasks.