Survey study, 2003
Are suicide attempts more common during the menses?
Yes. The probability of attempting suicide during the menses was 1.68 times higher than the overall probability of a suicide attempt for any woman in the study population.
What they did
Researchers studied 120 women with regular menstrual cycles who came to hospital in Madrid after attempting suicide during a one-year period. The hospital served a population of 500,000 people. Researchers worked out which menstrual cycle phase each woman was in and compared this to the expected pattern.
What they found
During the menses, 279 women per 100,000 came to hospital after a suicide attempt, compared to 166 per 100,000 overall. The risk was 1.68 times higher during the menses.
What it means for you
The study found a clear link between the menses and suicide attempts. This was a replication of an earlier study, so it adds confidence to the finding. A main limitation is that the study only included women who came to hospital, so not all suicide attempts in the community are captured.
120
women studied
1.68 times
higher risk during menses
279 per 100,000
hospital admissions during menses
About the study
- Original title
- Association between the menses and suicide attempts: a replication study
- Authors
- Baca-García E, Diaz-Sastre C, Ceverino A et al.
- Journal
- Psychosomatic medicine
- Year
- 2003
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 500,000
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1097/01.psy.0000058375.50240.f6