Systematic review, 2022
Do anxiety disorders, PTSD and OCD get worse at certain points in the menstrual cycle?
For some women, yes. A review of 14 studies found that symptoms of several anxiety-related disorders tend to flare around the days before and after the period starts, but this pattern doesn't happen in every woman.
What they did
Researchers searched two research databases (PsycINFO and PubMed) up to April 2021 for studies that measured symptoms of a diagnosed anxiety disorder, PTSD or OCD at two or more different points in the menstrual cycle. They found and reviewed 14 studies that met their criteria.
What they found
Symptoms of panic disorder, PTSD, social anxiety disorder and generalised anxiety disorder worsened in the week or so before the period and again just after it starts, times linked to rapidly falling or low ovarian hormone levels. The effect was inconsistent, varying between individual women and between symptom types. The studies themselves had weaknesses: inconsistent ways of defining menstrual phases, small numbers of participants, and samples not very representative of women generally.
What it means for you
If you have an anxiety disorder, PTSD or OCD, your symptoms may flare around certain cycle phases, but this doesn't apply to everyone, and the research is limited by small, inconsistently designed studies, so firm conclusions aren't yet possible.
14
studies included in the review
About the study
- Original title
- Symptom fluctuation over the menstrual cycle in anxiety disorders, PTSD, and OCD: a systematic review
- Authors
- Green SA, Graham BM
- Journal
- Archives of women's mental health
- Year
- 2022
- Study design
- Systematic review
- What was tested
- None; this is an observational review comparing symptoms across menstrual cycle phases, no treatment tested.
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1007/s00737-021-01187-4
Topics
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