--- title: Does the menstrual cycle affect daily changes in suicidal thoughts? description: Yes, for women with suicidal ideation. They had worse suicidal thoughts and planning during certain menstrual cycle phases, particularly around menstruation, url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/predicting-acute-changes-in-suicidal-ideation-and-planning-a-longitudinal-study-2024/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does the menstrual cycle affect daily changes in suicidal thoughts? Cohort study, 2024 # Does the menstrual cycle affect daily changes in suicidal thoughts? Yes, for women with suicidal ideation. They had worse suicidal thoughts and planning during certain menstrual cycle phases, particularly around menstruation, driven mainly by depression and hopelessness. Moderate study design 119 psychiatric outpatients with recent suicidal ideation, naturally cycling ## What they did 119 psychiatric outpatients with recent suicidal ideation tracked 11 psychiatric symptoms (depression, hopelessness, anxiety, anger, rejection sensitivity, feeling of burden, and others) daily for at least one complete menstrual cycle. Five cycle phases were identified based on menstruation and ovulation timing. ## What they found Nearly all psychiatric symptoms covaried with daily suicidal ideation. Depression, hopelessness, rejection sensitivity, and perceived burdensomeness predicted within-person increases in suicidal planning. Many women showed perimenstrual worsening of psychiatric symptoms, suicidal ideation, and suicidal planning. ## What it means for you For women with suicidal thoughts, the menstrual cycle influences day-to-day suicide risk, mainly through changes in depression and hopelessness. This is the first large study showing this pattern, but the findings only apply to women in psychiatric care with recent suicidal ideation, so we don't know if it's the same for other women. 119 psychiatric outpatients with recent suicidal ideation 11 psychiatric symptoms tracked daily 5 menstrual cycle phases identified ## About the study Original title Predicting Acute Changes in Suicidal Ideation and Planning: A Longitudinal Study of Symptom Mediators and the Role of the Menstrual Cycle in Female Psychiatric Outpatients With Suicidality Authors Ross JM, Barone JC, Tauseef H et al. Journal The American journal of psychiatry Year 2024 Study design Cohort study Participants 119 Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.20230303](https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.20230303) ## Topics [Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Premenstrual exacerbation (PME)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pme/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Mood swings and emotion regulation](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-emotional-regulation/)[Suicidality](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-suicidality/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/) 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 Cohort study, 2023 Does the menstrual cycle affect how often women have suicidal thoughts? Randomised trial, 2022 Do hormone pills prevent suicidal thoughts from getting worse around menstruation? Survey study, 2006 Does the menstrual cycle affect mood disorders? Systematic review, 2021 Are women with PMS or PMDD more likely to think about or attempt suicide? Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Survey study, 2025 Does PMDD affect women's quality of life and job performance? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗