Menstrual irregularity as a biological limit to early pregnancy awareness
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Authors
Nobles, Jenna
Cannon, Lindsay
Wilcox, Allen J.
Issue Date
2021-12-27
Type
Article
Language
Keywords
Abortion Policy , Pregnancy , Menstruation
Alternative Title
Abstract
US state legislatures have proposed laws to prohibit abortion once the earliest embryonic electrical activity is detectable (fetal “heartbeat”). On average, this occurs roughly 6 wk after the last menstrual period. To be eligible for abortion, people must recognize pregnancy very early in gestation. The earliest symptom of pregnancy is a missed period, and irregular menstrual cycles—which occur frequently—can delay pregnancy detection past the point of fetal cardiac activity. In our analysis of 1.6 million prospectively recorded menstrual cycles, cycle irregularity was more common among young women, Hispanic women, and women with common health conditions, such as diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome. These groups face physiological limitations in detecting pregnancy before fetal cardiac activity. Restriction of abortion this early in gestation differentially affects specific population subgroups, for reasons outside of individual control.
Description
Citation
Nobles, J., Cannon, L., & Wilcox, A. J. (2022). Menstrual irregularity as a biological limit to early pregnancy awareness. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119(1), e2113762118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2113762118
Publisher
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America