Cohort study, 2022
Is suicide more likely to happen during a particular phase of the menstrual cycle?
In this study of 91 women who died by suicide in India, about two-thirds were in the secretory (luteal, pre-period) phase of their cycle, hinting at a possible link between premenstrual hormonal changes and suicide risk, but the study cannot prove cause and effect.
What they did
Researchers did a prospective observational study of 91 women aged 15 to 45 who died by suicide. They examined tissue from the uterus under a microscope to work out which phase of the menstrual cycle each woman was in at the time of death, and compared this with age, marital status, time of day, and method used.
What they found
63.8% (about two-thirds) of the women were in the secretory phase of their cycle when they died. Most were aged 18 to 30, married, died between 6am and 6pm, and used burns. The link between cycle phase and both age and marital status was statistically significant (P value < 0.05).
What it means for you
This suggests premenstrual hormonal changes might be one factor among many in some suicides, but the study only looked at women who had already died, with no comparison group of living women, and was done in one country with specific social patterns, so the findings cannot be generalized or used to prove a direct cause.
91
Women studied
63.8%
In secretory phase at death
P<0.05
Statistical significance
About the study
- Original title
- Association of Menstrual cycle with Suicide in Female of Reproductive Age Group: A Hospital based Prospective Study using Histological Technique
- Authors
- S Biswas, A Das, Chayan Bandyopadhyay
- Journal
- Journal of Indian Academy of Forensic Medicine
- Year
- 2022
- Study design
- Cohort study
- Participants
- 91
- What was tested
- None; this was an observational study using tissue examination, not a treatment trial.
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.5958/0974-0848.2022.00121.x
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