Menstrual cycle length and modern living: a review

Campbell, Lily R; Scalise, Ariel L; DiBenedictis, Brett T; Mahalingaiah, Shruthi

doi:10.1097/med.0000000000000681

Cited by 18 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…In addition, participants over age 50 years had an estimated 200% (191, 209) higher variability compared to those age 35-39 years. Asian and Hispanic participants had 9% (3,15) and 10% (3,17) higher cycle variability compared to White participants, while no notable differences in cycle variability were found for those who were Black (-3%, 95%CI= -5, 0), who reported other race/ethnicity (-4%, 95%CI= -9, 0), and who reported more than one race/ethnicity (-5%, 95%CI=-15, 4) compared to White participants .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 76%

“…However, the racial and ethnic differences of cycle length persisted after we controlled for these factors in the model. Therefore, our results may be explained by other unmeasured factors such as disparities in life-course exposures to cultural, social, and environmental factors of menstrual and reproductive health, which warrants further investigation (12,17).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Reports on menstrual characteristics were limited for women above age 45, and current evidence suggested menstrual cycles were increasingly longer and more varied in this age group (8,15,16). Obesity has been linked with longer and less regular menstrual cycles, however, the results were not consistent (10,14,16,17). The recent emergence of menstrual cycle tracking applications (apps) in smart phones allows large epidemiologic studies to confirm previous findings in small population samples and to examine factors of menstrual health in a rapidly changing world (18)(19)(20).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

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Variation in menstrual cycle length by age, race/ethnicity, and body mass index in a large digital cohort of women in the US

Gibson

Jukic

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Background Menstrual characteristics are important signs of women's health. We examined the variation of menstrual cycle length by age, race and ethnicity, and body weight using data collected from mobile menstrual tracking apps. Understanding how menstrual characteristics vary by these factors can provide important information for further study of environmental and social determinants of menstrual health. Methods We collected self-tracked menstrual cycle data from participants of the Apple Women's Health Study. Demographic and lifestyle characteristics were self-reported from surveys. Linear mixed effect (LME) models were used to estimate the differences in cycle length associated with age, race/ethnicity, and body mass index (BMI), adjusted for possible confounders or predictors of cycle length. Cycle variability was estimated by the change of within-individual standard deviations of cycle length. Findings A total of 165,668 cycles from 12,608 participants from US were included. After adjusting for all covariates, mean menstrual cycle length was shorter with older age across all age groups until age 50 and then became longer for those age 50 and older. Menstrual cycles were on average 1.6 (95%CI: 1.2, 2.0) days longer for Asian and 0.7 (0.4, 1.0) days longer for Hispanic participants compared to White non-Hispanic participants. Participants with Class 3 obesity (BMI>=40 kg/m2) had 1.5 (1.2, 1.8) days longer cycles compared to those with healthy BMI (18.5<= BMI<25 kg/m2). Cycle variability was smaller among participants in older age groups but became considerably larger for those in the oldest age categories (45-49 and 50+). Asian and Hispanic participants and those who were obese had larger cycle variability. Interpretation This study demonstrated differences in menstrual characteristics by age, race and ethnicity,and obesity using data collected from mobile health apps. Future studies should explore the underlying determinants of the racial and ethnic differences in menstrual characteristics.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 76%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Variation in menstrual cycle length by age, race/ethnicity, and body mass index in a large digital cohort of women in the US

Gibson

Jukic

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…Furthermore, exposure to a variety of factors may influence a woman's menstrual cycle. These can include lifestyle factors (such as stress, shift work, exercise, dietary composition, and smoking/drugs/alcohol intake), life history factors (such as age at menarche and parity), environmental factors (such as air pollution and endocrine disrupting chemicals), and biological factors (such as body weight, age, ovarian conditions, and genetics) (10).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of COVID-19 vaccination on the menstrual cycle

Chao

Menon²,

Elgendi³

2022

Front. Med.

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Numerous anecdotal accounts and qualitative research studies have reported on post-vaccination menstrual irregularities in women of reproductive age. However, none have quantified the impact. This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis to quantify and characterize the menstrual irregularities associated with vaccination for women of reproductive age. A search on July 20, 2022, retrieved articles published between December 1, 2019, and July 1, 2022, from MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science. The included articles were studies with full texts written in English that reported on menstrual irregularities for vaccinated vs. unvaccinated women of reproductive age. The quality of the studies was evaluated using the Study Quality Assessment Tool for Observation Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies. Four observational studies were included. Review Manager was used to generating a forest plot with odds ratios (ORs) at the 95% confidence interval (CI), finding statistically significant associations between vaccination and menstrual irregularities for 25,054 women of reproductive age (OR = 1.91, CI: 1.76–2.07) with a significant overall effect of the mean (Z = 16.01, p < 0.0001). The studies were heterogeneous with significant dispersion of values (χ2 = 195.10 at df = 3, p < 0.00001, I2 = 98%). The findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis are limited by the availability of quantitative data. The results have implications for treating women of reproductive age with menstrual irregularities and informing them about the potential side effects of vaccinations.

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“…Tracking the menstrual cycle is a relatively simple practice that will allow females to understand the wide range of symptoms associated with the menstrual cycle, and readily identify alterations that may arise alongside life stressors. Given the menstrual cycle can be altered by a wide range of factors, such as; stress, anxiety, and nutrition, it has been recommended to follow best practice for each individual factor, collectively, in order to prevent any long term changes to the pattern of the menstrual cycle [ 83 ]. If changes are experienced, then a holistic approach is required with regard to treatment, taking into consideration the abundance of possible influencing factors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Lifestyle Changes during the COVID-19 Global Pandemic Affected the Pattern and Symptoms of the Menstrual Cycle

Bruinvels

Blagrove

Goldsmith³

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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This research investigated the implications that the COVID-19 pandemic had on the menstrual cycle and any contributing factors to these changes. A questionnaire was completed by 559 eumenorrheic participants, capturing detail on menstrual cycle symptoms and characteristics prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period. Over half of all participants reported to have experienced lack of motivation (61.5%), focus (54.7%) and concentration (57.8%). 52.8% of participants reported an increase in cycle length. Specifically, there was an increase in the median cycle length reported of 5 days (minimum 2 days, maximum 32 days), with a median decrease of 3 days (minimum 2 days and maximum 17 days). A lack of focus was significantly associated with a change in menstrual cycle length (p = 0.038) reported to have increased by 61% of participants. Changes to eating patterns of white meat (increase p = 0.035, decrease p = 0.003) and processed meat (increase p = 0.002 and decrease p = 0.001) were significantly associated with a change in menstrual cycle length. It is important that females and practitioners become aware of implications of environmental stressors and the possible long-term effects on fertility. Future research should continue to investigate any long-lasting changes in symptoms, as well as providing education and support for females undergoing any life stressors that may implicate their menstrual cycle and/or symptoms.

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Menstrual cycle length and modern living: a review

Cited by 18 publications

References 56 publications

Variation in menstrual cycle length by age, race/ethnicity, and body mass index in a large digital cohort of women in the US

Variation in menstrual cycle length by age, race/ethnicity, and body mass index in a large digital cohort of women in the US

Effect of COVID-19 vaccination on the menstrual cycle

How Lifestyle Changes during the COVID-19 Global Pandemic Affected the Pattern and Symptoms of the Menstrual Cycle

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