---
title: Does the menstrual cycle affect suicide risk in teenage girls?
description: Evidence suggests the menstrual cycle may play a role in when teenage girls are at highest risk for suicidal thoughts or behavior. This is an emerging area of
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/understanding-when-and-why-some-adolescent-girls-attempt-suicide-an-emerging-2020/
---

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- Does the menstrual cycle affect suicide risk in teenage girls?

Survey study, 2020

# Does the menstrual cycle affect suicide risk in teenage girls?

Evidence suggests the menstrual cycle may play a role in when teenage girls are at highest risk for suicidal thoughts or behavior. This is an emerging area of research with no definitive answers yet.

 Early or limited evidence

Literature review focusing on adolescent girls

## What they did

Researchers reviewed existing evidence about suicide risk in adolescent girls and how it changes across the menstrual cycle. They developed a framework to explain how biological, social, and cognitive development may combine with menstrual cycle changes to affect risk.

## What they found

Suicide risk increases sharply during the teenage years, especially in girls. The evidence suggests certain girls may be at higher risk based on their development, and the week before menstruation may be a time when risk is particularly high.

## What it means for you

This framework suggests the menstrual cycle may be important for understanding suicide risk in teenage girls, but because this is based on reviewing other research rather than on new data, more studies are needed to confirm these ideas and understand exactly how the menstrual cycle affects risk.

## About the study

Original title Understanding When and Why Some Adolescent Girls Attempt Suicide: An Emerging Framework Integrating Menstrual Cycle Fluctuations in Risk Authors Owens SA, Eisenlohr-Moul TA, Prinstein MJ Journal Child development perspectives Year 2020 Study design Survey study Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12367](https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12367)

## Topics

[Suicidality](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-suicidality/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/)

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