Systematic review, 2019
Does the menstrual cycle affect the risk of suicide and psychiatric hospital admission?
Yes. During menstruation, the risk of suicide death is 26% higher, suicide attempts 17% higher, and psychiatric hospital admission 20% higher compared to other times of the cycle. During the premenstrual phase, psychiatric admission risk is 13% higher.
What they did
Meta-analysis combining data from 32 published papers covering 3,791 women total. They examined whether suicide deaths, suicide attempts, suicidal thoughts, and psychiatric hospital admissions occurred more often at different stages of the menstrual cycle.
What they found
During menstruation, there was 26% greater risk of suicide death, 17% greater risk of suicide attempts, and 20% greater risk of psychiatric hospital admission. During the premenstrual phase, there was 13% greater risk of psychiatric admission. Suicidal thoughts were not linked to cycle stage. These patterns were consistent across the 32 studies reviewed.
What it means for you
Menstruation and the premenstrual phase are times when serious mental health crises are significantly more likely. This suggests hormonal changes during your cycle may have major effects on mental health. Limitations include variable study quality and studies that did not control for other factors that might explain the link.
3791
women in meta-analysis
26%
higher suicide risk at menstruation
20%
higher psychiatric admission risk at menstruation
About the study
- Original title
- Menstrual Cycle Effects on Mental Health Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis
- Authors
- Jang D, Elfenbein HA
- Journal
- Archives of suicide research : official journal of the International Academy for Suicide Research
- Year
- 2019
- Study design
- Systematic review
- What was tested
- None - observational study
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1080/13811118.2018.1430638
Topics
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