The role of menstrual cycle phase and anxiety sensitivity in catastrophic misinterpretation of physical symptoms during a CO2 challenge

The current study examined the interactive effects of anxiety sensitivity (AS; fear of anxiety and anxiety-related sensations)
and menstrual cycle phase (premenstrual phase vs. follicular phase) on panic-relevant responding (i.e., cognitive and physical
panic symptoms, subjective anxiety, and skin conductance level). Women completed a baseline session and underwent a 3-min
10 % CO₂-enriched air biological challenge paradigm during her premenstrual and follicular menstrual cycle phases. Participants were
55 women with no current or past history of panic disorder recruited from the general community (M
_age = 26.18, SD = 8.9) who completed the biological challenge during both the premenstrual and follicular cycle phases. Results
revealed that women higher on AS demonstrated increased cognitive panic symptoms in response to the challenge during the premenstrual
phase as compared to the follicular phase, and as compared to women lower on AS assessed in either cycle phase. However, the
interaction of AS and menstrual cycle phase did not significantly predict physical panic attack symptoms, subjective ratings
of anxiety, or skin conductance level in response to the challenge. Results are discussed in the context of premenstrual exacerbations
of cognitive, as opposed to physical, panic attack symptoms for high AS women, and the clinical implications of these findings.