UNUSUAL CLEANING BEHAVIOR IN THE LUTEAL PHASE

18 undergraduate women recorded episodes of unusual cleaning, defined as excessive cleaning or cleaning of things not usually cleaned, and the dates of their menstruation over a 2-mo. period. Unusual cleaning was significantly more likely to occur during the luteal phase than at any other time in women not using oral contraceptives. Possible links between changes in progesterone levels and obsessive compulsive disorders are suggested.