References

Are you a research fanatic like me?

Feel free to look at the below sources if you want to read up on more menstrual cycle info!

FAM

Up to 99.6% effective
"Our method-effectiveness of 0.4% can be interpreted as one pregnancy occurring per 3250 cycles"

Frank-Herrmann, P., Heil, J., Gnoth, C., Toledo, E., Baur, S., Pyper, C., ... & Freundl, G. (2007). The effectiveness of a fertility awareness based method to avoid pregnancy in relation to a couple's sexual behaviour during the fertile time: a prospective longitudinal study. Human Reproduction, 22(5), 1310-1319.

Hatcher, R. A. (2007). Contraceptive technology. Ardent Media.

PMS

80 to more than 90% of women experience PMS symptoms

Dueñas, J. L., Lete, I., Bermejo, R., Arbat, A., Pérez-Campos, E., Martínez-Salmeán, J., ... & Coll, C. (2011). Prevalence of premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder in a representative cohort of Spanish women of fertile age. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, 156(1), 72-77.

Takeda, T., Tasaka, K., Sakata, M., & Murata, Y. (2006). Prevalence of premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder in Japanese women. Archives of Women's Mental Health, 9, 209-212.

Tschudin, S., Bertea, P. C., & Zemp, E. (2010). Prevalence and predictors of premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder in a population-based sample. Archives of women's mental health, 13, 485-494.

Winer, S. A., Rapkin, A. J. (2006). Premenstrual disorders: prevalence, etiology and impact. Journal of Reproductive Medicine; 51(4 Suppl):339-347.

Hormonal Contraception

Reduces amygdala activity:

Petersen, N., & Cahill, L. (2015). Amygdala reactivity to negative stimuli is influenced by oral contraceptive use. Social cognitive and affective neuroscience, 10(9), 1266-1272.

Menting-Henry, S., Hidalgo-Lopez, E., Aichhorn, M., Kronbichler, M., Kerschbaum, H., & Pletzer, B. (2022). Oral contraceptives modulate the relationship between resting brain activity, amygdala connectivity and emotion recognition–a resting state fMRI study. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 16, 775796.

Reduces activation in posterior insula, middle cingulate cortex, amygdala and hypothalamus:

Hwang, M. J., Zsido, R. G., Song, H., Pace-Schott, E. F., Miller, K. K., Lebron-Milad, K., ... & Milad, M. R. (2015). Contribution of estradiol levels and hormonal contraceptives to sex differences within the fear network during fear conditioning and extinction. BMC psychiatry, 15, 1-12.

Changes affective and cognitive processing areas, including the amygdala, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and cingulate gyrus:

Brønnick, M. K., Økland, I., Graugaard, C., & Brønnick, K. K. (2020). The effects of hormonal contraceptives on the brain: A systematic review of neuroimaging studies. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 556577.

Is associated with smaller hypothalamic and pituitary gland volume:

Chen, K. X., Worley, S., Foster, H., Edasery, D., Roknsharifi, S., Ifrah, C., & Lipton, M. L. (2021). Oral contraceptive use is associated with smaller hypothalamic and pituitary gland volumes in healthy women: A structural MRI study. PLoS One, 16(4), e0249482.

Is related to: changes in HPO function; alteration in physical and chemical properties of cervical mucus; changes in the endometrium; inhibition of ovulation, and reduction in sperm penetration and survival

Barbosa, I., Olsson, S. E., Odlind, V., Goncalves, T., & Coutinho, E. (1995). Ovarian function after seven years' use of a levonorgestrel IUD. Advances in contraception, 11, 85-95.

Scarselli, G., Noci, I., Chelo, E., Tantini, C., & Livi, C. (1983). Clinical evaluation in vivo and in vitro of cervical mucus in IUD users: differences between women wearing copper and progesterone releasing IUDs. Acta europaea fertilitatis, 14(4), 279-282.

Disrupts stress response & HPA axis:

Nielsen, S. E., Segal, S. K., Worden, I. V., Yim, I. S., & Cahill, L. (2013). Hormonal contraception use alters stress responses and emotional memory. Biological psychology, 92(2), 257-266

Hertel, J., König, J., Homuth, G., Van der Auwera, S., Wittfeld, K., Pietzner, M., ... & Grabe, H. J. (2017). Evidence for stress-like alterations in the HPA-axis in women taking oral contraceptives. Scientific reports, 7(1), 14111.

Increases risk of blood clots

Reid, R. L., Westhoff, C., Mansour, D., de Vries, C., Verhaeghe, J., Boschitsch, E., ... & Shapiro, S. (2010). Oral contraceptives and venous thromboembolism. J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care, 36(3), 117-122.

The risks increased between three- and ninefold for blood clots for healthy women. The risks found would project 300–400 women dying from using HC each year in the US:

Keenan, L., Kerr, T., Duane, M., & Van Gundy, K. (2018). Systematic review of hormonal contraception and risk of venous thrombosis. The Linacre Quarterly, 85(4), 470-477.

Alters brain structure & function

Pletzer, B., Kronbichler, M., Aichhorn, M., Bergmann, J., Ladurner, G., & Kerschbaum, H. H. (2010). Menstrual cycle and hormonal contraceptive use modulate human brain structure. Brain research, 1348, 55-62.

Depletes vitamins & minerals

Wilson, S. M., Bivins, B. N., Russell, K. A., & Bailey, L. B. (2011). Oral contraceptive use: impact on folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 status. Nutrition reviews, 69(10), 572-583.

Fenasse, R., & McEwen, B. (2019). Impact of the oral contraceptive pill on health and nutritional status. Journal of the Australian Traditional-Medicine Society, 25(4), 197-203.

Increases risk for ovarian and breast cancer

International Collaboration of Epidemiological Studies of Cervical Cancer. (2007). Cervical cancer and hormonal contraceptives: collaborative reanalysis of individual data for 16 573 women with cervical cancer and 35 509 women without cervical cancer from 24 epidemiological studies. The Lancet, 370(9599), 1609-1621.

Smith, J. S., Green, J., de Gonzalez, A. B., Appleby, P., Peto, J., Plummer, M., ... & Beral, V. (2003). Cervical cancer and use of hormonal contraceptives: a systematic review. The Lancet, 361(9364), 1159-1167.

Madeleine, M. M., Daling, J. R., Schwartz, S. M., Shera, K., McKnight, B., Carter, J. J., ... & Galloway, D. A. (2001). Human papillomavirus and long-term oral contraceptive use increase the risk of adenocarcinoma in situ of the cervix. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, 10(3), 171-177.

Franceschi, S. (2005). The IARC commitment to cancer prevention: the example of papillomavirus and cervical cancer. Tumor prevention and genetics III, 277-297.

Increases risk for depression

Skovlund, C. W., Mørch, L. S., Kessing, L. V., & Lidegaard, Ø. (2016). Association of hormonal contraception with depression. JAMA psychiatry, 73(11), 1154-1162.

Gingnell, M., Engman, J., Frick, A., Moby, L., Wikström, J., Fredrikson, M., & Sundström-Poromaa, I. (2013). Oral contraceptive use changes brain activity and mood in women with previous negative affect on the pill—a double-blinded, placebo-controlled randomized trial of a levonorgestrel-containing combined oral contraceptive. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 38(7), 1133-1144.

Burnout

Working women are more burned out than men

Beauregard, N., Marchand, A., Bilodeau, J., Durand, P., Demers, A., & Haines III, V. Y. (2018). Gendered pathways to burnout: results from the SALVEO study. Annals of work exposures and health, 62(4), 426-437.

Bilodeau, J., Marchand, A., & Demers, A. (2020). Psychological distress inequality between employed men and women: a gendered exposure model. SSM-Population Health, 11, 100626.

Heat therapy

Heat therapy can be more effective than painkillers

Akin, M. D., Weingand, K. W., Hengehold, D. A., Goodale, M. B., Hinkle, R. T., & Smith, R. P. (2001). Continuous low-level topical heat in the treatment of dysmenorrhea. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 97(3), 343-349.

Zhu, X., & Hamilton, K. D. (2011). A comparison of the effect of external warmth and ibuprofen on the reduction of pain in women with primary dysmenorrhea. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2011.

Sleep

During the luteal phase, there's a decrease in REM sleep, more brain activity during sleep and your heart rate goes up by about 4 bpm while sleeping during this phase.

Baker, F. C., & Lee, K. A. (2022). Menstrual cycle effects on sleep. Sleep medicine clinics, 17(2), 283-294.

Sign of health

Your menstrual cycle, including ovulation and menstruation, is a vital sign of health.

Vigil, P., Lyon, C., Flores, B., Rioseco, H., & Serrano, F. (2017). Ovulation, a sign of health. The Linacre Quarterly, 84(4), 343-355.

Diaz, A. M. R. L., Laufer, M. R., & Breech, L. L. (2006). Menstruation in girls and adolescents: using the menstrual cycle as a vital sign. Pediatrics, 118(5), 2245-2250.