Menstrual Cycle Phases and Their Impact on Alcohol Cravings and Consumption
A study presented at the 2025 Research Society on Alcohol meeting reveals that menstrual cycle hormones significantly influence alcohol cravings and consumption patterns in women. Understanding these hormonal effects can enhance targeted interventions for alcohol use disorder.
Recent research suggests that fluctuations in ovarian sex hormones across different phases of the menstrual cycle may influence women’s tendencies to crave and consume alcohol. A study presented at the annual Research Society on Alcohol meeting in June 2025 examined hormonal changes and drinking behaviors in young adult women or individuals assigned female at birth, providing valuable insights into how reproductive hormones may affect alcohol use.
The study involved 61 women who regularly consumed alcohol at least twice weekly and tracked their alcohol craving and intake over 35 days through saliva samples to analyze hormone levels. The findings revealed that alcohol craving varied significantly during different menstrual cycle phases. Cravings tended to increase during the midfollicular phase, which occurs shortly after menstruation, and again during the midluteal phase, with a decrease observed during the late follicular, periovulatory, and late luteal phases. Importantly, while craving levels fluctuated, there was no significant change in the actual probability of drinking or binge drinking across the cycle phases.
Furthermore, the data indicated that the probabilities for drinking and binge drinking peaked around ovulation during the follicular phase, coinciding with rising levels of estradiol, a key reproductive hormone. Although the hormonal influence was marginal, the pattern implies that increasing estradiol levels may elevate the risk of craving and alcohol consumption in women.
These findings highlight the importance of understanding hormonal influences on drinking behaviors, potentially allowing women to be more aware of periods when they may be more vulnerable to alcohol cravings. Health professionals could use this information to improve assessment and treatment strategies for women experiencing alcohol-related issues. The research opens the door to exploring hormone-stabilizing medications as a new avenue for managing alcohol use disorders in women.
Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-menstrual-phases-linked-higher-alcohol.html
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