Survey study, 2014
Does how women's body responds to stress change during the menstrual cycle?
Yes. Women showed stronger heart and blood vessel responses to stress in the luteal phase compared to other times. Adrenaline levels were also higher in the late follicular and luteal phases, and these hormone changes appeared to drive the physical responses.
What they did
57 women gave a stressful speech during three different phases of their menstrual cycle: early follicular, late follicular, and luteal. Researchers measured how their hearts responded and checked levels of adrenaline and estrogen.
What they found
During the luteal phase, women's hearts pumped stronger and their blood vessels responded more dramatically to the stress task. Adrenaline levels increased more in the late follicular and luteal phases than in the early follicular phase. Estrogen and adrenaline levels predicted how strongly each woman's body responded physically.
What it means for you
Hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle affect how a woman's body reacts to stress. Changes in adrenaline levels may be more important than estrogen itself in driving these responses. However, the study was done in a single lab setting, so stress responses in everyday life may be different.
57
women in the study
3
menstrual cycle phases tested
About the study
- Original title
- Mechanisms underlying hemodynamic and neuroendocrine stress reactivity at different phases of the menstrual cycle
- Authors
- Gordon JL, Girdler SS
- Journal
- Psychophysiology
- Year
- 2014
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- None
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1111/psyp.12177