Review, 1990
Do suicide attempts happen more often at certain times of the menstrual cycle?
A review pooling data from five studies with 400 women found fewer suicide attempts in the third week of the cycle, suggesting hormones may influence suicide risk.
What they did
Review of studies examining whether suicide attempts vary across the menstrual cycle. Five studies with sufficient detail were identified and their data were combined together.
What they found
A deficit in suicide attempts during week three of the menstrual cycle was revealed, which the authors suggest supports a hormonal explanation for why attempts vary across the cycle.
What it means for you
This pattern across multiple studies suggests hormones may protect against suicide attempts during the third week. However, with only five studies included, more research is needed to understand this finding.
400
menstruating women pooled
5
studies combined
week three
fewer suicide attempts
About the study
- Original title
- Suicide and the menstrual cycle
- Authors
- Lester D
- Journal
- Medical hypotheses
- Year
- 1990
- Study design
- Review
- What was tested
- None - review and pooled analysis
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/0306-9877(90)90092-s