---
title: How do menstrual cycle hormones affect suicide risk in women?
description: A review suggests hormone changes during the menstrual cycle, especially in the luteal phase, may affect brain chemistry and increase suicide risk in vulnerab
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/molecular-mechanisms-of-menstrual-cycle-related-suicide-risk-a-selective-review-2026/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- How do menstrual cycle hormones affect suicide risk in women?

Cohort study, 2026

# How do menstrual cycle hormones affect suicide risk in women?

A review suggests hormone changes during the menstrual cycle, especially in the luteal phase, may affect brain chemistry and increase suicide risk in vulnerable women. The exact mechanisms are not fully understood.

 Moderate study design

Review of research on females of reproductive age with menstrual cycle-related suicidal thoughts.

## What they did

This is a literature review examining how ovarian hormone changes during the menstrual cycle affect suicide risk. The authors reviewed evidence on six biological systems affected by hormones (serotonergic, GABAergic, dopaminergic, neurotrophic, lipid, and DHEA systems) and their links to suicide.

## What they found

Women have higher suicidal thoughts and attempts than men, especially during hormone transitions like the menstrual cycle, puberty, and pregnancy. Suicidal risk is higher in the luteal and perimenstrual phases. In hormone-sensitive women, normal hormone fluctuations in estradiol, progesterone, and allopregnanolone may disrupt brain chemistry affecting mood, thinking, and behavior.

## What it means for you

Menstrual cycle phase should be considered when assessing suicide risk in women. The main limitation is that exact mechanisms are not proven and most evidence is not specific to individual women. More targeted research is needed to identify who is at highest risk and how to prevent suicide.

6

biological systems reviewed

Luteal phase

highest suicide risk

3

key hormones studied

## About the study

Original title Molecular Mechanisms of Menstrual Cycle-Related Suicide Risk: A Selective Review of Promising Candidate Systems Authors Ross A, Patterson AM, Eisenlohr-Moul TA Journal Biological psychiatry Year 2026 Study design Cohort study What was tested None - literature review. Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2025.12.005](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2025.12.005)

## Topics

[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Reproductive hormone sensitivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-hormone-sensitivity/)[Suicidality](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-suicidality/)[Neurosteroids (allopregnanolone)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-neurosteroids/)[Pregnancy and postpartum](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-postpartum/)

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

Systematic review, 2026

Why do some women experience mood changes linked to their menstrual cycle?

Randomised trial, 2023

Does estrogen and progesterone around the period help with suicidal thoughts?

Randomised trial, 2020

Do steroid metabolites differ between women with PMDD and those without?

Randomised trial, 2017

Do hormones process differently in women with PMDD?

Survey study, 2023

Could treatments that affect the brain's GABA system help PMDD?

Survey study, 2008

Do hormone changes during the premenstrual phase relate to mood symptoms in women with mood disorders?

Ask AI about this page

Copy prompt

ChatGPT

↗

Claude

↗

Perplexity

↗

Google AI Mode

↗

Grok

↗