---
title: Does the luteal phase worsen anxiety and checking behaviors? | Niyora
description: Checking behaviors and anxiety-related brain responses stay about the same between cycle phases, but they are more strongly linked during the luteal phase.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/effects-of-menstrual-cycle-phase-on-associations-between-the-error-related-2019/
---

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- Does the luteal phase worsen anxiety and checking behaviors?

Survey study, 2019

# Does the luteal phase worsen anxiety and checking behaviors?

Checking behaviors and anxiety-related brain responses stay about the same between cycle phases, but they are more strongly linked during the luteal phase.

 Moderate study design

Women tested in both follicular and luteal phases not taking hormonal contraceptives (sample size not stated in abstract)

## What they did

Women were tested twice: once during mid-follicular phase and once during mid-luteal phase. At each test, researchers measured brain activity while women did an error-detection task and asked them to report how much they checked things in daily life.

## What they found

Checking behavior and brain responses to errors were similar between phases. However, in the luteal phase, stronger brain error signals were more closely linked to more checking. Changes in checking between phases matched changes in brain error response. Progesterone in the luteal phase appeared to link these together.

## What it means for you

This suggests progesterone in the luteal phase may amplify the link between anxiety and checking by changing error monitoring in the brain. This could explain why some women notice more anxious behaviors before their period. The main limitation is we don't know if this applies to women with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

## About the study

Original title Effects of menstrual cycle phase on associations between the error-related negativity and checking symptoms in women Authors Mulligan EM, Hajcak G, Klawohn J et al. Journal Psychoneuroendocrinology Year 2019 Study design Survey study What was tested Brain monitoring and progesterone levels measured Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.01.027](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.01.027)

## Topics

[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Anxiety disorders and OCD](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-anxiety-disorders/)

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