Whereas around 21.3% of women experience major depressive disorder (MDD) at some point during their life, the same is true for 12.7% of men. Previous studies have reported a strong link between menstrual pain and increased rates of depression. Despite the known associations however, establishing a causal relationship has been challenging owing to difficulties in controlling for confounding factors in observational studies.
In the current study, researchers analyzed data from around 600,000 individuals from European populations and 8,000 from East Asian populations to determine the causality between menstrual pain and depression. The used Mendelian randomization to analzye genetic variation and identify genes that might mediate the effects of depression on menstrual pain.
Ultimately, the researchers found a significant causal effect of depression on period pain, but not the other way around. The study also identified key genes and proteins involved in this effect.
Beyond this, the researchers found that sleep disturbances could exacerbate menstrual pain, suggesting that addressing these disturbances may help manage both conditions. They noted, however, that more research is needed to understand how these factors are linked.
“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,” said lead author of the study, Shuhe Liu, a PhD student at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool-University (XJTLU), China in a press release.
“We hope this can lead to more personalised treatment options, and improved healthcare, and reduce the stigma surrounding the conditions,” concluded Liu.
Sources: Neuroscience News, Briefings in Bioinformatics
