American Journal of Primatology 9:165-172 (1985) Perimenstrual Behavior Changes Among Female Yellow Baboons: Some Similarities to Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) in Women

Although numerous studies have documented changes in the behavior of nonhuman primate females around the time of ovulation, very little atten-tion has been paid to behavior changes around the time of menstruation. Yet such information is obviously relevant to understanding the origins and etiology of the adverse mood and behavior changes experienced premen-strually by many women. Analysis of data obtained during 115 hours of observation on 13 female Amboseli (Kenya) baboons (Papw cynocephalus) during 24 menstrual periods showed that prior to and during the time of menstrual onset, these individuals exhibited distinct changes in their activ-ity budgets, nearest-neighbor distances, and patterns of social interaction. Furthermore, in comparison to females around the time of ovulation, peri-menstrual females showed increased rates of agonistic interaction and de-creased (but nonzero) rates of sexual interaction with adult males. These premenstrual and perimenstrual behavior changes among female yellow baboons thus show some intriguing similarities to several commonly re-ported behavioral symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in women