--- title: How do estrogen and progesterone affect anxiety and cigarette craving during the menstrual cycle? description: Anxiety and cigarette craving are highest during the 7 days before your period starts and the first 3 days after, regardless of hormone levels. At other times url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-influence-of-perimenstrual-daily-ovarian-hormones-on-anxiety-and-cigarette-2025/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - How do estrogen and progesterone affect anxiety and cigarette craving during the menstrual cycle? Survey study, 2025 # How do estrogen and progesterone affect anxiety and cigarette craving during the menstrual cycle? Anxiety and cigarette craving are highest during the 7 days before your period starts and the first 3 days after, regardless of hormone levels. At other times, higher progesterone and lower estrogen are linked to lower anxiety and craving. Early or limited evidence 50 women who smoke daily ## What they did 50 women who smoke daily provided morning saliva samples to measure estrogen and progesterone. They also reported their anxiety and cigarette craving each day. Researchers compared days right before and during the period (perimenstrum) with other days of the cycle. ## What they found During perimenstrum, anxiety and craving were high no matter what the hormone levels were. Outside perimenstrum, higher progesterone with lower estrogen was associated with lower anxiety and lower craving. ## What it means for you The time around your period is a high-risk window for anxiety and craving regardless of hormone levels. At other times, the balance between your hormones matters more. These findings are from women who smoke daily, so may not apply to all women. 50 women studied 7 days before period in perimenstrum window 3 days after period starts in perimenstrum window ## About the study Original title The Influence of Perimenstrual Daily Ovarian Hormones on Anxiety and Cigarette Craving Authors Farris SG, Rogers AH, DiBello AM et al. Journal Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco Year 2025 Study design Survey study Participants 50 What was tested Daily measurement of estrogen and progesterone during natural menstrual cycle Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntaf052](https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntaf052) ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Appetite and food cravings](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-food-cravings/)[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 Study, 2025 Does difficulty managing emotions make menstrual mood symptoms worse? Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Survey study, 2024 Are menstrual cycle symptoms related to sleep problems and mental health in female athletes? Survey study, 2022 What diet, stress, and lifestyle factors are linked to PMS symptoms? Survey study, 2022 How common are premenstrual symptoms, and do they change with age? Study, 2022 Does having COVID-19 affect premenstrual syndrome symptoms? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗