---
title: Do common health conditions get worse at certain times in your menstrual cycle?
description: Yes. Migraine, epilepsy, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and diabetes can worsen at certain points in the menstrual cycle.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/menstrual-cycle-effects-on-common-medical-conditions-2001/
---

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- Do common health conditions get worse at certain times in your menstrual cycle?

Review, 2001

# Do common health conditions get worse at certain times in your menstrual cycle?

Yes. Migraine, epilepsy, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and diabetes can worsen at certain points in the menstrual cycle.

 Early or limited evidence

Women with migraine, epilepsy, asthma, IBS, or diabetes.

## What they did

Reviewed published evidence documenting menstrual cycle-related flare-ups of common medical conditions.

## What they found

Menstrual cycle-related exacerbation (worsening) of common conditions such as migraine, epilepsy, asthma, IBS, and diabetes is well-recognized. Tracking symptoms on a menstrual calendar helps identify women with cyclic patterns in disease activity.

## What it means for you

If you have any of these conditions, keeping a menstrual calendar may reveal whether your symptoms follow a pattern tied to your cycle. This could help with managing or predicting flare-ups.

## About the study

Original title Menstrual cycle effects on common medical conditions Authors Case AM, Reid RL Journal Comprehensive therapy Year 2001 Study design Review What was tested Symptom tracking on a menstrual calendar. Read the paper [doi.org/10.1007/s12019-001-0010-8](https://doi.org/10.1007/s12019-001-0010-8)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[GnRH agonists and ovarian suppression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-gnrh/)[Migraine](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-migraine/)[Epilepsy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-epilepsy/)[IBS and gut symptoms](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-ibs-gi/)

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

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Cohort study, 2006

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Survey study, 1988

Do women with premenstrual syndrome have abnormal opioid hormone activity during the menstrual cycle?

Study, 1986

Do women with menstrually-related migraine have different hormone levels than women with epilepsy?

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