Cohort study, 2018
Does progesterone affect women's anxiety across the menstrual cycle?
Yes. Women with higher average progesterone reported higher anxiety, and anxiety increased as progesterone rose during the cycle. Both studies showed this link.
What they did
Two studies examined the link between progesterone and anxiety. Study 1: 100 Polish women gave saliva samples and reported anxiety at three cycle phases. Study 2: 61 American women gave saliva samples and reported attachment anxiety at the same three phases.
What they found
In Study 1, women with higher average progesterone across their cycles reported higher anxiety levels. In Study 2, women with higher average progesterone reported higher attachment anxiety, and as progesterone increased during the cycle, anxiety increased. Both effects remained significant when controlling for other hormones.
What it means for you
Progesterone appears linked to anxiety in women across the cycle. The main limitation is these are observational studies, so we cannot prove progesterone causes the anxiety.
100
Polish women in Study 1
61
American women in Study 2
3
cycle phases measured
About the study
- Original title
- Progesterone and women's anxiety across the menstrual cycle
- Authors
- Reynolds TA, Makhanova A, Marcinkowska UM et al.
- Journal
- Hormones and behavior
- Year
- 2018
- Study design
- Cohort study
- Participants
- 100
- What was tested
- None
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.04.008
Topics
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