---
title: How do birth control methods and smoking affect menstrual periods?
description: Women taking oral contraceptives report fewer menstrual problems like heavy or painful periods. Women using IUCDs report heavier and more frequent periods. Sm
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-influence-of-method-of-contraception-and-cigarette-smoking-on-menstrual-1988/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- How do birth control methods and smoking affect menstrual periods?

Survey study, 1988

# How do birth control methods and smoking affect menstrual periods?

Women taking oral contraceptives report fewer menstrual problems like heavy or painful periods. Women using IUCDs report heavier and more frequent periods. Smokers report more menstrual problems than non-smokers, with current smokers reporting the worst.

 Moderate study design

2,115 women aged 18-49 years

## What they did

2,115 women aged 18-49 completed a postal questionnaire about their menstrual patterns and contraceptive use. Researchers looked for seven types of menstrual problems: prolonged periods, heavy periods, frequent periods, irregular periods, bleeding between periods, painful periods, and severe premenstrual syndrome.

## What they found

Women on oral contraceptives reported fewer menstrual abnormalities except for bleeding between periods and severe premenstrual tension. Women using IUCDs reported prolonged, heavy, and frequent periods and bleeding between periods more often than others, but not more painful periods. Women with tubal sterilization reported patterns similar to those using no contraception. Smokers reported significantly more abnormal menstrual patterns than non-smokers for all except severe premenstrual tension. Current smokers reported the worst, ex-smokers were intermediate, and non-smokers reported the best.

## What it means for you

The pill appears to reduce most menstrual problems, while IUCDs increase some. Smoking is associated with worse menstrual patterns across most categories. The authors suggest these findings should guide treatment decisions. The main limitation is that this is self-reported data from a single timepoint, so cause and effect cannot be proven.

2,115

women surveyed

7

types of menstrual problems examined

18-49

age range in years

## About the study

Original title The influence of method of contraception and cigarette smoking on menstrual patterns Authors Brown S, Vessey M, Stratton I Journal British journal of obstetrics and gynaecology Year 1988 Study design Survey study Participants 2,115 What was tested None (observational survey of contraceptive use and smoking) Read the paper [doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-0528.1988.tb06578.x](https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-0528.1988.tb06578.x)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Oral contraceptives and drospirenone](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormonal-contraceptives/)[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

Non-randomised trial, 1982

Does alcohol affect anxiety differently in women versus men, and does menstrual cycle phase matter?

Review, 2018

Which women are most likely to experience hot flashes during menopause?

Survey study, 2011

Is premenstrual syndrome related to major depression?

Randomised trial, 1999

Does calcium reduce PMS symptoms?

Cohort study, 1993

How common are premenstrual and menstrual symptoms in women?

Survey study, 2025

Do menstrual problems and poor sleep affect mood and thinking in teenage girls?

Ask AI about this page

Copy prompt

ChatGPT

↗

Claude

↗

Perplexity

↗

Google AI Mode

↗

Grok

↗