Brief report
The association between menstrual cycle and traumatic memories

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2010.10.049Get rights and content

Abstract

Background

Women in the mid-luteal phase of the menstrual cycle have been shown to have stronger emotional memories than other women. We investigated the extent to which experiencing a traumatic event during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle is associated with stronger traumatic flashback memories.

Methods

Consecutive female patients admitted to hospital after traumatic injury (n = 138) were assessed for days since last menstruation, as well as assessment of flashbacks. Twenty three (17%) women were in the mid-luteal phase (18–24) days at the time of trauma exposure and 29 (21%) were in the mid-luteal phase at the time of assessment.

Results

Women were more likely to experience flashback memories if they were in the luteal phase during the trauma (22% vs. 9%), adjusted OR: 3.64 [95%CI: 0.99–13.29] after controlling for injury severity, age, trauma type, and mild traumatic brain injury. Women in the luteal phase at assessment were 4.89 times more likely to have flashbacks. Adjusted OR: 4.89 [95%CI: 1.39–17.86].

Conclusions

Increased glucocorticoid release associated with the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle may facilitate consolidation of trauma memories.

Section snippets

Participants

Randomized admissions to Westmead Hospital, Australia, were recruited into the study between April 2004 and February 2006. The study was approved by the hospital Research and Ethics Committee. Individuals who met entry criteria were randomly selected using an automated, random assignment procedure, stratified by length of stay. This approach was adopted to ensure that we did not differentially recruit patients who had longer hospital stays because they may be more accessible. Inclusion criteria

Patient characteristics

There were 293 female trauma patients following motor vehicle accidents (n = 214), falls (n = 29), nonsexual assaults (n = 21), and other traumatic events (n = 29) who met inclusion criteria, 217 agreed to participate (74%), and 147 (50%) were asked how many days since their last period. Women who were asked about menstrual period did not differ from women who were not asked in terms of trauma type [χ2 = .13, df = 1, p = .12], mild traumatic brain injury [χ2 = 2.84, df = 1, p = .09], length of hospital admission

Discussion

Women who experienced their trauma during the luteal phase were 3.64 times, and women in the luteal phase at assessment were 4.89 times, more likely to have flashbacks in the acute period after trauma than other women (after controlling for injury severity, age, trauma type, and mild traumatic brain injury). This finding accords with evidence that women who encode an emotional film during the luteal have more subsequent intrusive memories of the film (Ferree and Cahill, 2009), and that cortisol

Role of funding source

Neither the National Health and Medical Research Council nor the Australian Research Council had a role in the study design, in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in the writing of the report, and in the decision to submit the paper for publication.

Conflict of interest

No authors are declaring a conflict of interest.

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council Program Grant and an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant.

References (17)

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