---
title: Are suicide attempts more common during the menses? | Niyora
description: Yes. The probability of attempting suicide during the menses was 1.68 times higher than the overall probability of a suicide attempt for any woman in the stud
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/association-between-the-menses-and-suicide-attempts-a-replication-study-2003/
---

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- Are suicide attempts more common during the menses?

Survey study, 2003

# Are suicide attempts more common during the menses?

Yes. The probability of attempting suicide during the menses was 1.68 times higher than the overall probability of a suicide attempt for any woman in the study population.

 Moderate study design

120 women with regular menstrual cycles admitted to hospital after suicide attempt in Madrid, Spain

## What they did

Researchers studied 120 women with regular menstrual cycles who came to hospital in Madrid after attempting suicide during a one-year period. The hospital served a population of 500,000 people. Researchers worked out which menstrual cycle phase each woman was in and compared this to the expected pattern.

## What they found

During the menses, 279 women per 100,000 came to hospital after a suicide attempt, compared to 166 per 100,000 overall. The risk was 1.68 times higher during the menses.

## What it means for you

The study found a clear link between the menses and suicide attempts. This was a replication of an earlier study, so it adds confidence to the finding. A main limitation is that the study only included women who came to hospital, so not all suicide attempts in the community are captured.

120

women studied

1.68 times

higher risk during menses

279 per 100,000

hospital admissions during menses

## About the study

Original title Association between the menses and suicide attempts: a replication study Authors Baca-García E, Diaz-Sastre C, Ceverino A et al. Journal Psychosomatic medicine Year 2003 Study design Survey study Participants 500,000 Read the paper [doi.org/10.1097/01.psy.0000058375.50240.f6](https://doi.org/10.1097/01.psy.0000058375.50240.f6)

## Topics

[Suicidality](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-suicidality/)

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