Groundbreaking Study by CU Denver, MIT Shows Impact of Air Pollution on Women’s Health

We know that air pollution can be harmful for our lungs and our hearts, but did you know that it can also affect women’s health in other ways? In a groundbreaking new study, researchers show how the tiny air particles produced by pollutants from things like car exhaust, factories, and wildfires can impact menstrual cycles over time.

Menstrual cycle length and variability are vital indicators of women’s health. Research has shown that highly variable menstrual cycles can be associated with an increased risk of premature death, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and infertility.

Thanks to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Colorado Denver, MIT’s Senseable City Lab, the Harvard School of Public Health, and the Clue app, a connection was discovered between the increased frequency of menstrual cycle irregularities and higher concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air. 

“These findings build on prior research linking air pollution to reproductive outcomes like preterm birth and infertility but focus specifically on menstrual health—an area that has been neglected due to the persistent gender health gap in scientific research,” said Priyanka deSouza, assistant professor of urban and regional planning at CU Denver in a blog post titled, Can air pollution affect your period? New research says yes.

The team analyzed over 2.2 million menstrual cycles tracked by 92,000 Clue users in 230 cities across the U.S., Brazil, and Mexico.

“Our findings, published in The Lancet Planetary Health, add new evidence that the environment we live in can shape our health, and that menstrual cycles deserve more attention in public health research,” said deSouza.

Short- and Long-Term Impacts

The study considered two types of exposure to pollutants: short-term and long-term exposure. The short-term exposure looked at pollution levels during a single cycle, while long-term exposure observed the average pollution levels throughout the individual’s city over all their tracked cycles.

“We found that people living in cities with higher long-term PM2.5 exposure were more likely to have atypical cycles, especially longer ones,” said deSouza. “This could signal changes in the endocrine system, which controls your hormones, including the ones that regulate your period.”

Now scientists are on track to learn how irregularities in menstrual cycles may be attributed to the air we breathe. By using data collected through the Clue application, researchers were able to review user-generated data to observe patterns in real-time. Environmental factors were then recorded based on geographic information and satellite-based pollution calculations. These findings suggest that cycle tracking applications could hold the answers to how environmental factors impact our reproductive health.

What Can You Do to Protect Your Health?

Women’s health has been historically under-researched. These findings come at a time when we are learning more and more about how to respond to and treat women in healthcare, while also recognizing the urgent questions about how climate change will shape the future of our collective and individual health and wellbeing.

There are three steps deSouza suggests that we take to reduce exposure to air pollution—check your local air quality, track your cycle, and talk to your healthcare provider.

Data is readily available online in most cities to provide real time information about high-pollution days when people may choose to consider limiting outdoor activities to reduce exposure. Using tracking applications like the Clue application can help women easily observe changes in their cycles. When changes are observed, or if symptoms arise that impact quality of life, it is important to talk with your healthcare provider.