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Bloody stressed! A systematic review of the associations between adulthood psychological stress and menstrual cycle irregularity.
- Source :
-
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews . Aug2024, Vol. 163, pN.PAG-N.PAG. 1p. - Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- Regular menstruation is a key indicator of general health and irregular menstrual parameters have been associated with elevated risk of adverse health outcomes. While psychological stress is believed to contribute to abnormal menstruation, little is known of the effects of discrete psychological stressors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, on menstrual function. A systematic database search was performed and studies investigating the relation between psychological stress and menstrual cycle irregularity in otherwise healthy adults were included. Two independent investigators completed abstract and full-text screening, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment. In the 41 included studies, a variety of stressors were assessed, namely COVID-19 pandemic stress, academic stress, and occupational stress. Our review found most studies report an association between psychological stress and menstrual dysfunction, with the most common disruptions being irregular menstruation and abnormal menstrual flow. Our findings also underlined notable discrepancies in the operational definitions used in the study of menstrual disorders. These observations emphasize the importance of psychological stress as a modifiable risk factor associated with irregular menstruation. • Most reviewed studies report elevated stress to be linked to abnormal menstruation. • Irregular menstruation and menorrhagia are commonly associated with high stress. • No consistent relation was observed between stress and abnormal cycle length. • Many inconsistencies were noted in the definitions used for abnormal menstruation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 01497634
- Volume :
- 163
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 178358543
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105784