Study finds potential genes linking depression to menstrual pain

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): 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 600,000 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.