Study, 1981
Does alcohol affect anxiety differently depending on where you are in your menstrual cycle?
Yes. Anxiety increased more with alcohol during the luteal phase (before your period) than during the follicular phase (first half of cycle). However, this was a very small study, so results may not apply widely.
What they did
10 women who didn't drink were given drinks with different amounts of alcohol. After each drink, they completed challenging tasks while researchers measured anxiety before drinking and after the tasks. Each woman was tested twice - once during the follicular phase and once during the luteal phase.
What they found
During the luteal phase, anxiety increased more as alcohol doses increased. This connection between alcohol dose and anxiety was not found during the follicular phase.
What it means for you
Alcohol may cause different levels of anxiety depending on which phase of the menstrual cycle a woman is in. The main limitation is the very small sample size of only 10 women.
10
women studied
20-25
age range (years)
4
alcohol doses tested
About the study
- Original title
- Effects of ethanol and psychomotor tests on state anxiety: interaction with menstrual cycle in women
- Authors
- Logue PE, Linnoila M, Wallman L et al.
- Journal
- Perceptual and motor skills
- Year
- 1981
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- Alcohol in doses of 0.0, 0.5, 0.8, or 1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight, followed by challenging tasks
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.2466/pms.1981.52.2.643
Topics
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