---
title: Do women take more health-related risks at certain times in their menstrual cycle?
description: Women show higher sexual activity and better risk awareness during ovulation, but no consistent pattern for alcohol or cigarette smoking across the cycle.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/do-women-expose-themselves-to-more-health-related-risks-in-certain-phases-of-the-2019/
---

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- Do women take more health-related risks at certain times in their menstrual cycle?

Systematic review, 2019

# Do women take more health-related risks at certain times in their menstrual cycle?

Women show higher sexual activity and better risk awareness during ovulation, but no consistent pattern for alcohol or cigarette smoking across the cycle.

 Strong study design

7,529 women across 26 studies examining menstrual cycle and health risk behaviors

## What they did

They reviewed and combined 26 studies (22 published and 4 unpublished) looking at whether women's risk-taking behavior changed across their menstrual cycle. They examined sexual behavior, risk awareness, alcohol consumption, and smoking.

## What they found

Sexual behavior and risk recognition were both higher during the ovulatory phase. However, alcohol and cigarette consumption showed no consistent pattern across the menstrual cycle.

## What it means for you

The menstrual cycle may affect sexual behavior and risk awareness, possibly linked to biological reasons related to reproduction. However, it does not appear to clearly affect alcohol or smoking behavior. Studies used varied methods.

7529

Total women across all studies

26

Studies reviewed in the meta-analysis

## About the study

Original title Do women expose themselves to more health-related risks in certain phases of the menstrual cycle? A meta-analytic review Authors Boudesseul J, Gildersleeve KA, Haselton MG et al. Journal Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews Year 2019 Study design Systematic review What was tested None - reviewed observational studies of health risk behaviors Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.08.016](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.08.016)

## Topics

[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Alcohol, smoking and substance use](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-substance-use/)

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