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PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESS AND THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 1999

KATHERINE A. SANDERS  and
NEVILLE W. BRUCE
KATHERINE A. SANDERS
Affiliation:
Department of Anatomy and Human Biology, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands 6907, Western Australia, Australia
NEVILLE W. BRUCE
Affiliation:
Department of Anatomy and Human Biology, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands 6907, Western Australia, Australia
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Abstract

The relationship between mood states, urinary stress hormone output (adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol) and adequacy of the menstrual cycle was examined in 120 recorded non-conception cycles from 34 women. It was hypothesized that women with higher stress levels would be more likely to experience abnormal cycles and that within women higher stress levels would positively relate to follicular phase length and inversely relate to luteal phase length. There was a non-significant trend for women to report higher stress levels during oligomenorrhoeic and unclear cycles compared with normal cycles. Analysis of covariance indicated that there was no consistent relationship between the measures of stress used here and follicular or luteal phase length within women. There was also no consistent pattern of relationship between reported mood states and stress hormone excretion within women. Further research is warranted to understand the role of stress and subtle menstrual cycle abnormalities in female fertility.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 31 , Issue 3 , July 1999 , pp. 393 - 402
Copyright
© 1999 Cambridge University Press

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