Survey study, 2021
How do coping strategies affect mood across the menstrual cycle in women trying to conceive?
Active coping and behavioral engagement reduced evening depression during menstruation. But seeking social support increased anxiety and reduced emotional quality of life, and using fertility monitoring techniques also increased anxiety.
What they did
58 distressed women with infertility completed mood assessments twice daily (morning and evening) for one full menstrual cycle. They tracked their coping strategies, use of fertility monitoring techniques, and emotional quality of life.
What they found
During menstruation, active coping and behavioral engagement were linked with less depression in the evening. Social support seeking was linked with greater anxiety and lower emotional quality of life across all phases. Using fertility monitoring techniques was linked with higher anxiety. Women who used avoidance strategies or sought social support throughout their cycle, or who were optimistic, showed different depression patterns after receiving a negative pregnancy test.
What it means for you
For women struggling to conceive, some coping strategies like active coping may help reduce mood symptoms, while others like seeking social support and using fertility tracking may worsen anxiety. The study tracked women for only one cycle and included a small sample, so these findings need confirmation in larger studies.
58
women studied
1
menstrual cycle tracked per woman
6.7 vs 5.9
anxiety levels with fertility monitoring use vs without use
About the study
- Original title
- The relationship between psychological coping and mood across the menstrual cycle among distressed women struggling to conceive
- Authors
- Balsom AA, Gordon JL
- Journal
- Journal of psychosomatic research
- Year
- 2021
- Study design
- Survey study
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2021.110465
Topics
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