Is suicide more likely during certain phases of the menstrual cycle?

Background Suicide remains a significant global public health issue. The influence of menstrual cycle phases on mental health, especially in conditions like premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), has raised concerns about possible connections between hormonal changes and suicidal tendencies. Previous research has produced mixed findings regarding the relationship between menstrual phases and suicide. This study aims to investigate this potential correlation through histopathological examination. Methods This cross-sectional comparative study was conducted at a government medical college in Northeastern India, involving 50 women who died by suicide, aged 12-50 years. Histopathological examination of the uterus was used to determine the menstrual cycle phase of the deceased. Data collection was performed using Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Washington, United States), and statistical analysis was conducted with IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 21.0 (Released 2012; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). Results Among the 50 suicide cases, the early proliferative phase accounted for 18 cases (36%), followed by the late proliferative phase with 14 cases (28%), the late secretory phase with eight cases (16%), the menstrual phase with four cases (8%), pregnancy with four cases (8%), and the early secretory phase with two cases (4%). Hanging was the predominant method of suicide, accounting for 32 cases (64%). The majority of suicide victims (n=22; 44%) were between the ages of 16 and 20. Statistical analysis indicated no significant association between menstrual phase and method of suicide (p=0.460) or between age group and menstrual phase (p=0.243). However, the distribution of suicide cases across menstrual phases showed statistical significance (p<0.001), with an overrepresentation in the proliferative phases. Conclusion The findings revealed that the distribution of suicide cases across menstrual phases is not random, with a statistically significant overrepresentation in the proliferative phases. The choice of suicide method does not appear to be significantly associated with the menstrual phase, suggesting that other factors influence method selection. However, due to the small sample size, the detection of smaller but clinically relevant associations may be limited.

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