--- title: Is stress linked to irregular menstrual cycles? | Niyora description: Yes, there's a clear link. People with high stress were more likely to have irregular cycles, and irregular cycles were strongly associated with high stress l url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/association-of-menstrual-cycle-pattern-with-perceived-stress-score-among-student-2022/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Is stress linked to irregular menstrual cycles? Survey study, 2022 # Is stress linked to irregular menstrual cycles? Yes, there's a clear link. People with high stress were more likely to have irregular cycles, and irregular cycles were strongly associated with high stress levels. Early or limited evidence 150 student and staff nurses in Pakistan, aged 18 and over ## What they did Cross-sectional study of 150 nurses (students and staff) at a teaching hospital in Pakistan from February to July 2021. They completed questionnaires about their menstrual cycle patterns and stress levels. ## What they found The most common PMS symptom was generalized pain (26% of student nurses, 16% of staff nurses). Mood swings were the most common negative effect (52% of students, 46.7% of staff nurses). Among those with high stress, 27.3% had irregular cycles, and irregular cycles were strongly linked with high stress. ## What it means for you This shows a strong link between stress and cycle irregularity. But because the study is cross-sectional, we can't know if stress causes the irregular cycles, or the cycles cause stress. The study is also small and only included nurses in Pakistan. 26% Generalized pain in student nurses 52% Mood swings in student nurses 27.3% High stress levels with irregular cycles ## About the study Original title Association of Menstrual Cycle Pattern with Perceived Stress Score among Student and Staff Nurses Authors Zohra Parveen, Bushra Parveen, Sidra Hameed et al. Journal Pakistan Journal of Medical and Health Sciences Year 2022 Study design Survey study What was tested None - observational study Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.53350/pjmhs22166100](https://doi.org/10.53350/pjmhs22166100) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/) 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 Survey study, 2026 Is PMS worse in medical students with higher stress? Survey study, 2026 Is academic stress linked to PMS severity in university students? Survey study, 2019 How common is PMS in female operating room technologists? Survey study, 2011 Does work stress and night shifts increase risk of PMS and PMDD? Review, 2025 How do stress hormone levels change during the menstrual cycle and how does this affect health? Survey study, 2026 Does exercise help college women with period problems and mental health? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗