{
  "abstract": "Women are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at twice the rate of men, a disparity only partly explained by trauma exposure differences. Sex-specific biological factors, particularly cyclic fluctuations in estradiol and progesterone, have been associated with PTSD symptoms/related neuropsychological processes in healthy/trauma exposed women; however, the extent and clinical translation of this literature (if any) remain unclear in PTSD populations. This review aimed to map evidence examining associations between ovarian hormones/menstrual cycle phase and PTSD symptoms and/or related neuropsychological processes (e.g., extinction learning) in women with PTSD (Aim1), and/or associations with psychotherapy outcomes in PTSD/related anxiety disorders (Aim2). A systematic search for peer-reviewed, empirical studies involving adult females was conducted across 6 databases, in accordance with PRISMA-ScR and JBI guidelines. From 2,464 results, 12 studies were included. Five studies addressed Aim 1 and seven addressed Aim 2. Hormonal operationalization was inconsistent, including continuous assays (n=5), menstrual cycle phase comparisons (n=3), and/or median split/other groupings (n=6), with estradiol most frequently measured. For Aim 1, PTSD symptom findings were inconsistent and inconclusive (n=3), whereas lower estradiol was more consistently associated with impaired fear extinction and habituation (n=2). For Aim 2, findings in anxiety-related disorders were mixed, with no study examining ovarian hormone status in psychotherapy outcomes for women with PTSD. Overall, evidence remains sparse, heterogeneous and largely cross-sectional. Findings do not yet support firm conclusions regarding ovarian hormone–PTSD symptom/neuropsychological interactions but highlight key research gaps and future directions to better understand these relationships and inform personalized PTSD treatments for women.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Ciara Treacy"
    },
    {
      "name": "Mia Schaumberg"
    },
    {
      "name": "Katherine Moore"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ella Liow"
    },
    {
      "name": "Sophie Andrews"
    },
    {
      "name": "Bronwyn Graham"
    },
    {
      "name": "Alain Brunet"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2tbpwsdktw18a.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.31234/osf.io/a6cy2_v1",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "2tbpwsdktw18a",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/a6cy2_v1/",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "bepress",
      "Clinical Psychology"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Health Psychology"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Mental Health"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Neuroscience"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Other Neuroscience and Neurobiology"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Physiology"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Psychiatry"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Psychotherapy"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Social and Behavioral Sciences"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Stress"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Trauma and Stress"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Treatment"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://osf.io/a6cy2/download",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-30",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2tbpwsdktw18a.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:34Z",
      "native_id": "a6cy2",
      "source": "osf",
      "url": "https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/a6cy2_v1/"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "bepress:Neuroscience",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
    },
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "bepress:Physiology",
      "subfield": "physiology"
    },
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "bepress:Clinical Psychology",
      "subfield": "psychiatry"
    }
  ],
  "title": "The Role of Menstrual Cycle Phase in PTSD: A Scoping Review of Symptom Expression, Neuropsychology and Psychotherapy Response in Women",
  "title_text": "The Role of Menstrual Cycle Phase in PTSD: A Scoping Review of Symptom Expression, Neuropsychology and Psychotherapy Response in Women",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-01T12:21:47Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2tbpwsdktw18a",
  "venue": "PsyArXiv",
  "versions": []
}