---
title: What menstrual cycle data has been collected in a long-term UK study of mothers and daughters?
description: A major UK birth cohort collected data on menstrual problems including irregular periods, heavy bleeding, pain, and premenstrual symptoms from mothers and dau
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/menstrual-cycle-features-in-mothers-and-daughters-in-the-avon-longitudinal-study-2023/
---

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- What menstrual cycle data has been collected in a long-term UK study of mothers and daughters?

Cohort study, 2023

# What menstrual cycle data has been collected in a long-term UK study of mothers and daughters?

A major UK birth cohort collected data on menstrual problems including irregular periods, heavy bleeding, pain, and premenstrual symptoms from mothers and daughters over many years. This data can be used to study what causes menstrual problems.

 Early or limited evidence

UK mothers and daughters from the ALSPAC birth cohort

## What they did

Described ALSPAC UK birth cohort data. Mothers followed 21 times ages 28.6-57.7 years. Daughters followed 20 times ages 8-24. Data collected 1991-2020 on irregular periods, severe pain, heavy bleeding, and premenstrual symptoms.

## What they found

The cohort collected information on irregular periods, severe pain, heavy bleeding, absent periods, and premenstrual symptoms. The paper describes how these were measured and discusses limitations including hormonal contraception use, pregnancy, breastfeeding, menopause, missing data, and potential misclassification.

## What it means for you

This dataset can help researchers understand what causes menstrual problems and identify who is at risk. The main limitations are that hormonal contraception, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause affect the data, and there is missing information and potential mistakes in how conditions were recorded.

21

timepoints collected in mothers

20

timepoints collected in daughters

1991-2020

years of data collection

## About the study

Original title Menstrual cycle features in mothers and daughters in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) Authors Sawyer G, Howe LD, Fraser A et al. Journal Wellcome open research Year 2023 Study design Cohort study What was tested none (observational data collection) Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.12688/wellcomeopenres.19774.3](https://doi.org/10.12688/wellcomeopenres.19774.3) Original abstract

Problematic menstrual cycle features, including irregular periods, severe pain, heavy bleeding, absence of periods, frequent or infrequent cycles, and premenstrual symptoms, are experienced by high proportions of females and can have substantial impacts on their health and well-being. However, research aimed at identifying causes and risk factors associated with such menstrual cycle features is sparse and limited. This data note describes prospective, longitudinal data collected in a UK birth cohort, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), on menstrual cycle features, which can be utilised to address the research gaps in this area. Data were collected across 21 timepoints (between the average age of 28.6 and 57.7 years) in mothers (G0) and 20 timepoints (between the average age of 8 and 24 years) in index daughters (G1) between 1991 and 2020. This data note details all available variables, proposes methods to derive comparable variables across data collection timepoints, and discusses important limitations specific to each menstrual cycle feature. Also, the data note identifies broader issues for researchers to consider when utilising the menstrual cycle feature data, such as hormonal contraception, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause, as well as missing data and misclassification.

Reproduced under CC-BY.

## Topics

[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Irritability and anger](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-irritability-anger/)[Oral contraceptives and drospirenone](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormonal-contraceptives/)

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