--- title: Are mental health problems linked to irregular periods in teenage girls? description: Yes. Girls with high stress are 1.88 times more likely to have irregular periods, those with depression are 2.01 times more likely, and those receiving counse url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-association-between-mental-health-problems-and-menstrual-cycle-irregularity-2017/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Are mental health problems linked to irregular periods in teenage girls? Survey study, 2017 # Are mental health problems linked to irregular periods in teenage girls? Yes. Girls with high stress are 1.88 times more likely to have irregular periods, those with depression are 2.01 times more likely, and those receiving counseling are 2.92 times more likely. Moderate study design 808 Korean female adolescents aged 12-18 from the 2010-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. ## What they did Researchers surveyed 808 Korean teenage girls aged 12-18 from a national health survey in 2010-2012. Girls reported on stress levels, depression, suicidal thoughts, counseling use, and period regularity. Researchers looked for connections between mental health and period regularity. ## What they found Girls with high stress levels were 1.88 times more likely to have irregular periods. Girls with depression were 2.01 times more likely. Girls receiving psychological counseling were 2.92 times more likely. The more mental health problems a girl had, the higher her risk of irregular periods. Suicidal thoughts were not linked to irregular periods. ## What it means for you Mental health and period regularity are connected in teenage girls. The main limits are that girls reported on their own periods and mental health, which may not be completely accurate, and this is from one country. 808 girls studied 1.88x higher risk with high stress 2.92x higher risk with counseling use ## About the study Original title The association between mental health problems and menstrual cycle irregularity among adolescent Korean girls Authors Yu M, Han K, Nam GE Journal Journal of affective disorders Year 2017 Study design Survey study Participants 808 What was tested None, observational study. Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.11.036](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.11.036) ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Suicidality](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-suicidality/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Psychotherapy, counselling and education](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-psychotherapy/)[Alcohol, smoking and substance use](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-substance-use/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/) 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, 2025 How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it? Systematic review, 2025 Does alcohol use affect menstrual health in teenage girls? Cohort study, 2024 Does experiencing stressful life events change how your mood varies during your menstrual cycle? Survey study, 2024 How common is PMDD in high school students and what factors are linked to it? Survey study, 2023 How common are PMS, PMDD, anxiety, and depression in rural adolescent girls? Case-control study, 2017 What cellular changes might explain why some women develop PMDD? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗