A woman's menstrual cycle affects nicotine cravings, according to a recent study by Adrianna Mendrek of the University of Montreal and its affiliated Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal.
"Our data reveal that incontrollable urges to smoke are stronger at the beginning of the follicular phase that begins after menstruation," Mendrek said, according to PsyPost. "Hormonal decreases of oestrogen and progesterone possibly deepen the withdrawal syndrome and increase activity of neural circuits associated with craving,"
Mendrek suggested the best time for a woman to quit smoking is during the mid-luteal phase - after ovulation. "Taking the menstrual cycle into consideration could help women to stop smoking," Mendrek said.
The findings were published in Psychiatry.
During the study, researchers noticed that females had a harder time quitting smoking than men, both in human surveys and in experiments. "Female rats become addicted more quickly, and are willing to work harder for the same quantity of dose," Mendrek said, according to PsyPost
Researchers concluded that sex hormones could affect the success or failure of kicking addiction and perhaps cause women to be at a higher risk for addiction.
"A greater knowledge of the neurobiological mechanisms governing addiction should enable us to better target treatment according to the smokers profile," Mendrek said, according to PsyPost.
