Systematic review, 2019
Do women take more health-related risks at certain times in their menstrual cycle?
Women show higher sexual activity and better risk awareness during ovulation, but no consistent pattern for alcohol or cigarette smoking across the cycle.
What they did
They reviewed and combined 26 studies (22 published and 4 unpublished) looking at whether women's risk-taking behavior changed across their menstrual cycle. They examined sexual behavior, risk awareness, alcohol consumption, and smoking.
What they found
Sexual behavior and risk recognition were both higher during the ovulatory phase. However, alcohol and cigarette consumption showed no consistent pattern across the menstrual cycle.
What it means for you
The menstrual cycle may affect sexual behavior and risk awareness, possibly linked to biological reasons related to reproduction. However, it does not appear to clearly affect alcohol or smoking behavior. Studies used varied methods.
7529
Total women across all studies
26
Studies reviewed in the meta-analysis
About the study
- Original title
- Do women expose themselves to more health-related risks in certain phases of the menstrual cycle? A meta-analytic review
- Authors
- Boudesseul J, Gildersleeve KA, Haselton MG et al.
- Journal
- Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews
- Year
- 2019
- Study design
- Systematic review
- What was tested
- None - reviewed observational studies of health risk behaviors
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.08.016
Topics
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