Women with depression more likely to have menstrual cramps, study

New Delhi: Women suffering from depression are more likely to experience menstrual cramps (also known as dysmenorrhea), a study found on Wednesday.

Previous research has shown that women are twice as likely to suffer from depression as men and often experience more severe physical symptoms. Although links between mental health and reproductive health have been found, associations have not yet been explored.

To decode this, researchers from China and the UK led a study where they analyzed genetic variations and identified specific genes that may be responsible for the effect of depression on menstrual pain.

“Our findings provide preliminary evidence that depression may be a cause rather than a consequence of dysmenorrhea,” said lead author Shua Liu, a doctoral student at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool-University (XJTLU) in China. .

However, they found “no evidence that period pain increases the risk of depression”.

In the study, published in the journal Briefings in Bioinformatics, the team analyzed nearly 600,000 cases from European populations and 8,000 from East Asian populations and saw a strong link between the two datasets.

They also examined the role of insomnia — a common problem among people with depression — as an important mediator between depression and dysmenorrhea.

The findings suggest that increased sleep disturbance may exacerbate menstrual cramps, thus emphasizing the need to address sleep issues to manage both conditions.

Further, the study also highlighted the need for a holistic approach when treating mental health and reproductive issues.

Liu noted that “mental disorders are often not considered when treating conditions such as pain”.

“Our findings emphasize the importance of mental health screening for people who suffer from severe menstrual pain”.

While the researchers called for more studies to establish the link, they said the findings “may lead to more personalized treatment options, and improved health care, and reduce the stigma surrounding the condition.” can pave the way.