--- title: Does the menstrual cycle affect how women who smoke crave cigarettes? description: Yes. Women who smoke showed stronger cravings and physical reactions to smoking cues at certain times in their cycle, particularly in the mid-follicular phase url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/menstrual-cycle-and-cue-reactivity-in-women-smokers-2010/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does the menstrual cycle affect how women who smoke crave cigarettes? Survey study, 2010 # Does the menstrual cycle affect how women who smoke crave cigarettes? Yes. Women who smoke showed stronger cravings and physical reactions to smoking cues at certain times in their cycle, particularly in the mid-follicular phase. Early or limited evidence 37 women who smoked and were not seeking smoking cessation treatment ## What they did 37 women who smoked and were not seeking treatment for smoking were tested at four different points in their menstrual cycle. At each point, researchers showed them smoking cues and stressful images, then measured their cravings using questionnaires and their physical responses using skin conductance and heart rate. ## What they found Subjective cravings for smoking varied across the cycle and were higher in early follicular and mid-follicular phases than in mid-luteal and late-luteal phases. Heart rate response to stressful images varied across the cycle with the highest response during the mid-follicular phase. Skin conductance response to smoking cues also varied across the cycle, with highest reactivity during the mid-follicular phase. ## What it means for you The menstrual cycle may affect how strongly women respond to smoking cues and stress. Women might experience stronger cravings at certain cycle phases, particularly mid-cycle. However, this was a small study of women not seeking smoking cessation treatment, so the results may not apply to all women or those trying to quit. 37 women smokers tested 4 different cycle phases tested ## About the study Original title Menstrual cycle and cue reactivity in women smokers Authors Gray KM, DeSantis SM, Carpenter MJ et al. Journal Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco Year 2010 Study design Survey study Participants 37 Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntp179](https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntp179) ## Topics [Appetite and food cravings](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-food-cravings/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Alcohol, smoking and substance use](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-substance-use/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Survey study, 2022 What diet, stress, and lifestyle factors are linked to PMS symptoms? Randomised trial, 2017 Does the menstrual cycle affect cortisol levels or cigarette craving during smoking abstinence? Study, 2015 Does how women smokers react to stress change during their menstrual cycle? Survey study, 2015 Does menstrual cycle phase affect how nicotine affects women? Cohort study, 2021 Are low antioxidant vitamins or high oxidative stress linked to premenstrual syndrome? Cohort study, 1999 What causes negative mood during menopause? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗