Depression can cause severe period pain, sleep disorders can make it worse: study

Severe menstrual cramps can affect a woman’s mood and mental well-being. But a new study reveals a surprising twist: depression can actually trigger severe period pain, and lack of sleep makes it worse.

Dysmenorrhea, or severe period pain, affects approximately 15% of women and usually appears just before menstruation and disappears after a few days. If menstrual cramps occur without any medical condition, it is called primary dysmenorrhea. This type of period pain is often caused by high levels of prostaglandins, hormone-like substances that increase uterine contractions. Secondary dysmenorrhea, however, is caused by medical conditions such as endometriosis or uterine fibroids.

In the latest test published in Briefings in Bioinformatics, researchers found that depression significantly affects primary dysmenorrhea after evaluating approximately 600,000 cases in European populations and 8,000 in East Asian populations, finding a strong association in both groups. The researchers also performed a genome-wide association study and identified key genes and proteins involved in this interaction.

“Our findings provide preliminary evidence that depression may be a cause rather than a consequence of dysmenorrhea, as we found no evidence that period pain increases the risk of depression,” she added. he said lead author Shuhe Liu from Chinese Xi’an Jiaotong – University of Liverpool.

Another interesting observation was that insomnia, commonly experienced by people with depression, played a key role in the link between depression and dysmenorrhea.

“We found that increased sleep disturbances can exacerbate menstrual pain. Addressing sleep problems may therefore be crucial in the treatment of both conditions,” Liu said.

However, larger studies and biological experiments are needed to fully understand the causal relationship between menstrual pain and depression. Meanwhile, based on the current findings, scientists are calling for improved mental health screening for people with dysmenorrhea. Liu explained that this could result in more personalized treatment options, reduced stigma and better health care for those affected by the disease.

“Depression and menstrual pain significantly impact the lives of women around the world, yet their relationship remains poorly understood. Our shared goal is to critically examine these issues and improve women’s care by uncovering these complex connections and finding better ways to address them,” lead author Dr. John Moraros from Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University in China he said CNN.