Survey study, 2022
Is stress linked to irregular menstrual cycles?
Yes, there's a clear link. People with high stress were more likely to have irregular cycles, and irregular cycles were strongly associated with high stress levels.
What they did
Cross-sectional study of 150 nurses (students and staff) at a teaching hospital in Pakistan from February to July 2021. They completed questionnaires about their menstrual cycle patterns and stress levels.
What they found
The most common PMS symptom was generalized pain (26% of student nurses, 16% of staff nurses). Mood swings were the most common negative effect (52% of students, 46.7% of staff nurses). Among those with high stress, 27.3% had irregular cycles, and irregular cycles were strongly linked with high stress.
What it means for you
This shows a strong link between stress and cycle irregularity. But because the study is cross-sectional, we can't know if stress causes the irregular cycles, or the cycles cause stress. The study is also small and only included nurses in Pakistan.
26%
Generalized pain in student nurses
52%
Mood swings in student nurses
27.3%
High stress levels with irregular cycles
About the study
- Original title
- Association of Menstrual Cycle Pattern with Perceived Stress Score among Student and Staff Nurses
- Authors
- Zohra Parveen, Bushra Parveen, Sidra Hameed et al.
- Journal
- Pakistan Journal of Medical and Health Sciences
- Year
- 2022
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- None - observational study
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.53350/pjmhs22166100
Topics
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