# Cross-Sectional Study on the Correlation Between Menstrual Cycle Phases and Suicidal Behavior: A Histological Analysis

## TL;DR

This study found that suicide cases are not evenly distributed across menstrual cycle phases, with more cases occurring during proliferative phases.

## Contribution

The study provides new histopathological evidence of a non-random correlation between menstrual phases and suicide.

## Key findings

- Suicide cases were significantly overrepresented during the proliferative phases of the menstrual cycle.
- No significant association was found between menstrual phase and suicide method or age group.
- Hanging was the most common method of suicide among the study participants.

## Abstract

Background

Suicide remains a significant global public health issue. The influence of menstrual cycle phases on mental health, especially in conditions like premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), has raised concerns about possible connections between hormonal changes and suicidal tendencies. Previous research has produced mixed findings regarding the relationship between menstrual phases and suicide. This study aims to investigate this potential correlation through histopathological examination.

Methods

This cross-sectional comparative study was conducted at a government medical college in Northeastern India, involving 50 women who died by suicide, aged 12-50 years. Histopathological examination of the uterus was used to determine the menstrual cycle phase of the deceased. Data collection was performed using Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Washington, United States), and statistical analysis was conducted with IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 21.0 (Released 2012; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States).

Results

Among the 50 suicide cases, the early proliferative phase accounted for 18 cases (36%), followed by the late proliferative phase with 14 cases (28%), the late secretory phase with eight cases (16%), the menstrual phase with four cases (8%), pregnancy with four cases (8%), and the early secretory phase with two cases (4%). Hanging was the predominant method of suicide, accounting for 32 cases (64%). The majority of suicide victims (n=22; 44%) were between the ages of 16 and 20. Statistical analysis indicated no significant association between menstrual phase and method of suicide (p=0.460) or between age group and menstrual phase (p=0.243). However, the distribution of suicide cases across menstrual phases showed statistical significance (p<0.001), with an overrepresentation in the proliferative phases.

Conclusion

The findings revealed that the distribution of suicide cases across menstrual phases is not random, with a statistically significant overrepresentation in the proliferative phases. The choice of suicide method does not appear to be significantly associated with the menstrual phase, suggesting that other factors influence method selection. However, due to the small sample size, the detection of smaller but clinically relevant associations may be limited.