Women can now officially blame impulse buys and over-spending on shopping on their time of the month according to new research.
In the 10 days before their periods began women were more likely to go on a spending spree.
Psychologists say that shopping could be a way for premenstrual women to deal with the negative emotions created by the changes and fluctuations in their hormones.
Professor Karen Pine asked 443 women aged 18 to 50 about their spending habits. Around 65% of the 153 women studied who were in the later stages of their menstrual cycle admitted they had bought something on an impulse and more than half said they had overspent by more than £25. A few of the women said they had overspent by more than £250.
Professor Pine, of the University of Hertfordshire, said: "Spending was less controlled, more impulsive and more excessive for women in the luteal phase. The spending behaviour tends to be a reaction to intense emotions. They are feeling stressed or depressed and are more likely to go shopping to cheer themselves up and using it to regulate their emotions."
She said much of this could be explained by hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle. And the findings were found to be more extreme in the women with severe PMT.
Psychologists also think that women might be buying items to make themselves feel more attractive - coinciding with the time of the month when they are most fertile. It's significant that most of the purchases made by the women were for adornment, including jewellery, make-up and high heels.
Professor Pine said: "Other researchers have found there is an ornamental effect around the time of ovulation." Researchers have found women tend to dress to impress during their fertile days.
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