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The psychological symptoms of menstruation indicate that each monthly bleeding leads to a pregenital regression. Thus women show regressions in cycles which expose them to increased danger since each regression is a perilous event.
Besides the term 'physiological menstruation', the concept of 'psychic menstruation' is suggested. The latter expresses itself in a host of symptoms before, during, and shortly after the monthly flow. The phenomenon of pregenital regression is traced through these symptoms in a group of women and illustrated with particularity in four patients during analysis, and in the dreams of others.
The degree of the pregenital regression in menstruation depends upon the degree of anxiety, guilt feelings, and the libidinal development. The more mature the libidinal development, the safer and more stable is the latency growth, which in turn militates against retreat. This means the more secure the basis of the personality, the less severe are the defense measures necessitated by the onslaught of puberty and the menarche.
AUTHOR'S ABSTRACT