Nath Anamika, Jain Priyanka, Hazarika Prabir
Department of Forensic Medicine, Tezpur Medical College and Hospital, Tezpur, IND.
Department of Pathology, Tezpur Medical College and Hospital, Tezpur, IND.
Cureus. 2025 Mar 28;17(3):e81346. doi: 10.7759/cureus.81346. eCollection 2025 Mar.
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.
背景 自杀仍然是一个重大的全球公共卫生问题。月经周期阶段对心理健康的影响，尤其是在经前烦躁障碍（PMDD）等情况下，引发了人们对激素变化与自杀倾向之间可能联系的担忧。先前的研究关于月经阶段与自杀之间的关系产生了不一致的结果。本研究旨在通过组织病理学检查来调查这种潜在的相关性。
方法 这项横断面比较研究在印度东北部的一所政府医学院进行，纳入了50名自杀死亡的女性，年龄在12至50岁之间。对子宫进行组织病理学检查以确定死者的月经周期阶段。使用Microsoft Excel（微软公司，美国华盛顿州雷德蒙德）进行数据收集，并使用IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows，版本21.0（2012年发布；IBM公司，美国纽约州阿蒙克）进行统计分析。
结果 在50例自杀病例中，早期增殖期占18例（36%），其次是晚期增殖期14例（28%），晚期分泌期8例（16%），月经期4例（8%），妊娠期4例（8%），早期分泌期2例（4%）。上吊是主要的自杀方式，占32例（64%）。大多数自杀受害者（n = 22；44%）年龄在16至20岁之间。统计分析表明月经阶段与自杀方式之间无显著关联（p = 0.460），年龄组与月经阶段之间也无显著关联（p = 0.243）。然而，自杀病例在月经阶段的分布具有统计学意义（p < 0.001），在增殖期有过度代表。
结论 研究结果显示，自杀病例在月经阶段的分布并非随机，在增殖期有统计学意义的过度代表。自杀方式的选择似乎与月经阶段无显著关联，这表明其他因素影响方式的选择。然而，由于样本量较小，检测较小但具有临床相关性的关联可能会受到限制。
