Study, 2026
Does how women's body responds to stress change across their menstrual cycle?
Yes. During the luteal phase (the second half of the cycle), women's blood pressure and anxiety rose more when they faced a stressor, compared to other phases. This suggests the luteal phase involves different stress reactivity.
What they did
Researchers tested women aged 18 to 30 during the follicular and luteal phases of their menstrual cycle. They measured baseline blood pressure and heart rate, then asked women about anxiety levels. They exposed women to a stressor (a cold water test) and measured how their blood pressure and anxiety changed. They compared measurements between the two cycle phases.
What they found
Baseline blood pressure and heart rate did not differ between phases. However, diastolic blood pressure (the lower number) rose considerably during the luteal phase after the cold water test. Trait anxiety scores were significantly higher during the luteal phase. State anxiety differences appeared only after the stressor during the luteal phase.
What it means for you
The luteal phase may involve greater stress reactivity. Your body and mind may respond more intensely to stress during this time. This finding suggests menstrual cycle phases should be considered when assessing stress and planning treatment. The main limitation is that the abstract does not state how many women were studied or how long the study lasted.
18-30
Age range of women in years
2
Menstrual cycle phases tested
About the study
- Original title
- Exploring psychophysiological stress variability across menstrual phases: insights from a tertiary care centre in eastern Uttar Pradesh
- Authors
- Mishra P, Rukadikar C, Prithviraj M et al.
- Journal
- International journal of physiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology
- Year
- 2026
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- Cold pressor test (immersion in cold water as a stressor)
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.62347/kzxq7629
Topics
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