What the study found
The study found cyclic changes in suicidal ideation and self-harm ideation across the menstrual cycle in people being evaluated for premenstrual disorders. Symptoms were most severe in the late luteal phase, improved by the start of menses, and re-emerged around ovulation.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors conclude that prospective, continuous symptom tracking may help identify high-risk periods and inform targeted prevention strategies. The study suggests that psychosocial vulnerabilities may further worsen cyclical suicidality and self-harm.
What the researchers tested
Participants completed daily ratings of premenstrual disorder symptoms, suicidal symptoms, and self-harm symptoms across two menstrual cycles. The researchers confirmed premenstrual disorder diagnosis with these ratings and used phase-aligned cycle time scaling and generalized additive mixed models to test for cyclic patterns.
What worked and what didn't
In the full sample, menstrual cyclicity was significant for suicidal ideation and self-harm ideation, with deviance explained of 38% and 21.6%, respectively. Cyclicity was statistically significant only in participants above the premenstrual disorder diagnostic threshold (n = 35), while it was nonsignificant in those below threshold (n = 29). Within the above-threshold group, psychiatric comorbidities, social support, childhood adversities, life stressors, baseline suicidal risk, and mid-follicular depressive symptoms shaped the cyclic patterns.
What to keep in mind
The abstract does not describe limitations beyond the limited prospective literature noted in the background. The findings come from people being evaluated for premenstrual disorders, so the summary does not establish how well they apply to broader populations.
Key points
- Suicidal ideation and self-harm ideation showed menstrual-cycle-related changes in the study sample.
- Symptoms peaked in the late luteal phase, eased by menses onset, and returned around ovulation.
- Cyclicity was significant only among participants above the premenstrual disorder diagnostic threshold.
- Psychosocial factors such as comorbidities, social support, and life stressors influenced cyclical patterns within the above-threshold group.
- The authors say continuous symptom tracking may help identify high-risk periods.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Cyclical suicidality and self-harm peak around the luteal phase
- Authors:
- May Ly, Gianna Zorzini, Tyler S. Wahl, Sneha Chenji, Sandi MacDonald, Jennifer L. Gordon
- Institutions:
- International Association for Psychoanalytic Self Psychology, International Association for Psychoanalytic Self Psychology, University of Regina, University of Regina, University of Regina, University of Regina
- Publication date:
- 2026-06-28
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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