--- title: Does your menstrual cycle stop you from starting a meditation practice? description: No. Women who used a meditation app for 8 weeks showed their menstrual cycle did not clearly affect how long they meditated. Those who meditated longer report url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/app-based-daily-meditation-and-menstrual-cycle-related-effects-a-quantitative-2026/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does your menstrual cycle stop you from starting a meditation practice? Survey study, 2026 # Does your menstrual cycle stop you from starting a meditation practice? No. Women who used a meditation app for 8 weeks showed their menstrual cycle did not clearly affect how long they meditated. Those who meditated longer reported fewer premenstrual symptoms. Early or limited evidence 41 women in a meditation study, average age 29.85 years, 97.7% identified as female ## What they did Researchers had 41 women meditate using an app for 8 weeks, covering two full menstrual cycles. Each day, participants reported meditation time, cycle phase, and how they felt. Researchers looked for links between cycle phase and meditation duration. ## What they found Women meditated an average of 10.02 minutes daily. Menstrual cycle phase did not significantly affect meditation duration. People who felt more motivated meditated longer. After 8 weeks, self-compassion, mindfulness, and confidence improved. Women who meditated longer reported fewer negative premenstrual symptoms. ## What it means for you Your menstrual cycle may not prevent you from starting meditation. Meditation might help reduce premenstrual symptoms and improve self-worth and confidence. This was a small study with no comparison group. 41 Participants 10.02 Average daily meditation in minutes 29.85 Mean age in years ## About the study Original title App-based daily meditation and menstrual cycle-related effects: a quantitative one-group pilot study Authors Siering LA, Koelman M, Esch T et al. Journal Research Square Year 2026 Study design Survey study Participants 41 What was tested App-based meditation using 7mind app for 8 weeks Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-10715835/v1](https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-10715835/v1) Original abstract Abstract Objectives The menstrual cycle has multifaceted influence. Potential effects on the adoption of healthy behaviors are unclear. Therefore, we examined how cycle phases are related to daily meditation duration in novices. We assessed associations between daily app-based meditation, menstruation cycle and health-related outcomes in meditation novices. Methods This eight-week study captured two consecutive menstrual cycles. Participants meditated using the 7mind app and reported basal temperature, onset of menstruation, health, motivation, and effort daily. Generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) and linear mixed models (LMM) analyzed cycle and health effects on meditation duration. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests assessed pre-post-effects. Correlation analyses examined associations between meditation duration and outcomes. Result 41 participants (mean age 29.85 years; 97,7% identified as female) meditated a mean of 10.02 minutes daily. GLMMs showed no significant influence of cycle phases or health ratings on meditation duration, whereas motivation did (b = 0.02, 95% CI [-.004, .040], p = .018). Post-intervention self-compassion (p = .005, r = .40), mindfulness (p = .023, r = .31) and self-efficacy (p = .001, r = .57) were higher than baseline. Longer meditation correlated with less negative premenstrual symptoms (τ β = −.25, p = .014) and higher self-compassion (τ β = .19, p = .042). LMMs showed no significant association between cycle phases and effort. Conclusions Adoption of a new positive behavior might not be affected by cycle phases as expected. App-based meditation appears to enhance self-compassion, mindfulness and self-efficacy. Relatively longer meditation duration could reduce premenstrual symptoms. Future research on cycle-effects should consider PMS/PMDD. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Mindfulness and meditation](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-mindfulness/)[Apps and digital interventions](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-digital-health/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Systematic review, 2026 Do digital tools and apps help reduce PMS and PMDD symptoms? Cohort study, 2026 Does the menstrual cycle phase affect how much physical activity women do? Cohort study, 2024 Can a wearable fitness tracker spot premenstrual disorders by measuring heart rate? Case-control study, 2023 Do emotion regulation strategies help women with PMDD manage mood and stress hormones? Survey study, 2022 How common are premenstrual symptoms, and do they change with age? Case-control study, 2019 Do women with PMDD respond differently to stress? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗