--- title: Does your menstrual cycle or hormonal contraceptive affect how your brain responds to scary situations? description: Yes. Women in the luteal phase and women using hormonal IUDs showed less ability to distinguish between threatening and safe situations compared to women in t url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/contraceptives-and-conditioning-different-profiles-of-fear-and-expectancy-2025/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does your menstrual cycle or hormonal contraceptive affect how your brain responds to scary situations? Survey study, 2025 # Does your menstrual cycle or hormonal contraceptive affect how your brain responds to scary situations? Yes. Women in the luteal phase and women using hormonal IUDs showed less ability to distinguish between threatening and safe situations compared to women in the follicular phase or using the pill. Women with high PMS symptoms showed more fear overall regardless of cycle phase. Early or limited evidence 26 naturally cycling women (each measured twice), 36 oral contraceptive pill users, and 25 hormonal IUD users. ## What they did Tested 26 naturally cycling women (measured during both phases of their cycle), 36 women taking oral contraceptive pills, and 25 women with hormonal IUDs. In a laboratory fear task, they showed each person visual stimuli paired with mild electric shocks, measuring fear responses through self-report and sweat responses, along with blood hormone levels. ## What they found Women in the luteal phase and IUD users showed reduced ability to distinguish the threatening stimulus from the safe one, with their fear spreading to the safe stimulus. Women in the follicular phase and pill users maintained better discrimination. Naturally cycling women with high PMS ratings had higher fear overall regardless of cycle phase. Physical stress responses showed phase-specific patterns. Actual hormone levels did not directly predict the fear responses. ## What it means for you Your menstrual cycle phase and type of contraceptive may affect how your brain processes fear in controlled situations. High PMS symptoms predict more overall fear. However, hormone levels alone do not explain these differences. This is a laboratory study with a small sample, so it may not reflect how fear works in everyday life. 26 Naturally cycling women (each measured twice) 36 Oral contraceptive pill users 25 Hormonal IUD users ## About the study Original title Contraceptives and conditioning: Different profiles of fear and expectancy ratings during fear conditioning and extinction according to menstrual cycle phase and hormonal contraceptive use Authors Doornweerd AM, Gerritsen L, Montoya ER et al. Journal Biological psychology Year 2025 Study design Survey study Participants 36 Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2024.108964](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2024.108964) Original abstract Hormonal contraceptives (HC) such as the oral contraceptive pill (OC) and the hormonal intrauterine device (IUD) have been associated with depressed mood, but research on their role in anxiety is scarce and inconsistent. In a fear acquisition and extinction paradigm, self-report fear, expectancy, and skin conductance responses (SCR) were assessed, along with sex hormone levels. Naturally cycling (NC) participants were measured during the mid-follicular and mid-luteal phases (within subjects, n = 26) and compared with OC (n = 36) and IUD (n = 25) users. IUD users and -participants in the luteal phase showed overall reduced self-reported CS+ vs CS- differentiation compared to the follicular phase and OC use (which both reflect relatively low levels of endogenous gonadal hormones). This overall reduced differentiation in self-reported fear in the luteal phase was attributed to a generalization of fear from CS+ to CS-. NC-individuals with high premenstrual syndrome (PMS) ratings had higher overall fear ratings regardless of cycle phase. For SCR, hormonal status effects were restricted to specific experimental phases during acquisition. SCR to the CS+ was higher at the end of acquisition in the luteal phase compared to the follicular phase, and in OC users during early acquisition (compared to the follicular phase) and mid acquisition (compared to the IUD group). There were no direct associations with sex hormone levels. These findings demonstrate the impact of menstrual cycle and HC use on fear learning and highlight the need for further research that considers different outcome measures across a wide array of menstrual cycle and HC-related characteristics. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Oral contraceptives and drospirenone](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormonal-contraceptives/) 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 Randomised trial, 1999 Does calcium reduce PMS symptoms? Cohort study, 1993 How common are premenstrual and menstrual symptoms in women? Survey study, 2025 Do menstrual problems and poor sleep affect mood and thinking in teenage girls? Case-control study, 2025 Do women with eating disorders experience more menstrual distress, and does birth control help? Survey study, 2023 Is PMDD diagnosis associated with more severe depression and anxiety and lower well-being? Survey study, 2020 Is PMS common in female university students and linked to anxiety, depression, and stress? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗