---
title: Do your menstrual hormones affect how much you drink? | Niyora
description: Yes. When estradiol was high and progesterone was low, around the time you ovulate, women drank more and binged more, but only on weekends.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/interactive-effects-of-ovarian-steroid-hormones-on-alcohol-use-and-binge-2017/
---

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- Do your menstrual hormones affect how much you drink?

Survey study, 2017

# Do your menstrual hormones affect how much you drink?

Yes. When estradiol was high and progesterone was low, around the time you ovulate, women drank more and binged more, but only on weekends.

 Early or limited evidence

22 college women ages 18 to 22 who reported drinking alcohol

## What they did

Scientists studied 22 college women ages 18 to 22 for 35 days. Each morning the women gave a saliva sample to measure their estradiol and progesterone. Each day they reported how much alcohol they drank and if they binged.

## What they found

High estradiol levels combined with low progesterone levels were linked to more drinking and binge drinking. This effect only appeared on weekend days, not weekdays.

## What it means for you

Hormones may affect drinking patterns across your cycle. The study was very small and all participants were college-age, so we do not know if this applies to all women or all ages. The results suggest that doctors should ask about your menstrual cycle when assessing drinking or substance use.

22

Women studied

35

Days tracked

## About the study

Original title Interactive effects of ovarian steroid hormones on alcohol use and binge drinking across the menstrual cycle Authors Martel MM, Eisenlohr-Moul T, Roberts B Journal Journal of abnormal psychology Year 2017 Study design Survey study Participants 22 Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1037/abn0000304](https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0000304)

## Topics

[Appetite and food cravings](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-food-cravings/)[Alcohol, smoking and substance use](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-substance-use/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/)

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