Survey study, 1986
Do women attempt self-poisoning at certain times of their menstrual cycle?
No clear pattern was found. Women admitted for self-poisoning showed no relation between their menstrual cycle phase and when the attempt occurred.
What they did
Researchers studied 156 women with regular periods who were admitted to a hospital for self-poisoning. They recorded which day of the menstrual cycle each woman was on when admitted.
What they found
No clear difference was found between the day of the menstrual cycle and whether a self-poisoning attempt occurred. This was true whether the attempts were suicidal or accidental, and regardless of which poison was taken.
What it means for you
Unlike some earlier research suggested, timing in the menstrual cycle doesn't appear to increase self-poisoning risk. The study was done in one hospital setting, so results may not apply everywhere.
156
women studied
About the study
- Original title
- Self-poisoning and the menstrual cycle
- Authors
- Ekeberg O, Jacobsen D, Sørum Y et al.
- Journal
- Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica
- Year
- 1986
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 156
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0447.1986.tb02680.x