Study finds potential genes linking depression to menstrual pain

Women suffering from depression are more likely to experience menstrual pain (also known as dysmenorrhea), finds a study on Wednesday.

Previous research has shown women are twice as likely as men to suffer from depression and often experience more severe physical symptoms. While the links between mental health and reproductive health have been found, the associations have remained underexplored.

To decode this, researchers from China and the UK led a study where they analysed genetic variation 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 Shuhe Liu, a doctoral student at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool-University (XJTLU), China.

They, however, “did not find evidence that period pain increased the risk of depression”.

In the study, published in the journal Briefings in Bioinformatics, the team analysed approximately 6,00,000 cases from European populations and 8,000 from East Asian populations and saw a strong link in both datasets.

They also examined the role of sleeplessness—a common problem among those suffering from depression—as a significant mediator between depression and dysmenorrhea.

The results showed that increased sleep disturbances could exacerbate menstrual pain, thus stressing 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 period pain”.

“Our findings emphasise 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 can pave the way for “more personalised treatment options, and improved healthcare, and reduce the stigma surrounding the conditions”.