Survey study, 1999
Does the menstrual cycle phase affect how the body responds to stress?
Yes. Women in the luteal phase (second half of the cycle) showed higher cortisol responses to a stress test than women in the follicular phase.
What they did
Researchers exposed 81 healthy adults (20 men, 19 women in their follicular phase, 21 in their luteal phase, and 21 taking oral contraceptives) to a stress test and an ACTH hormone injection. They measured cortisol levels multiple times throughout the day.
What they found
Women in the luteal phase had higher salivary cortisol responses to both the stress test and the ACTH injection compared to women in the follicular phase. Women on oral contraceptives showed cortisol patterns similar to women in the follicular phase.
What it means for you
Menstrual cycle phase appears to influence how the body's hormones respond to stress, with the luteal phase showing a stronger response. The main limit is that all participants were healthy adults without reported PMS or PMDD symptoms, so it's unclear if these hormone differences occur in women with menstrual cycle disorders.
81
Total adults in study
21
Women in luteal phase
19
Women in follicular phase
About the study
- Original title
- Impact of gender, menstrual cycle phase, and oral contraceptives on the activity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis
- Authors
- Kirschbaum C, Kudielka BM, Gaab J et al.
- Journal
- Psychosomatic medicine
- Year
- 1999
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 21
- What was tested
- Stress test and ACTH hormone injection
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1097/00006842-199903000-00006
Topics
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