Depression Linked to Early Onset of Perimenopause
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women with a history of depression may enter the pre-menopausal period known as perimenopause sooner than women who have never suffered from depression, according to a report published in the January 13th issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Perimenopause is a term for the years before a woman's last menstrual period, when menstruation tends to be irregular.
At a major menopause meeting in 2001, Dr. Lee S. Cohen and colleagues from Harvard Medical School (news - web sites) in Boston presented findings from a study of 34 middle-aged women that suggested a link between depression and early perimenopause onset.
In the current study, Cohen's team provides updated results after analyzing data from 332 women with and 644 women without a history of major depression. The follow-up period was three years.
The authors found that women with a history of depression were 20% more likely to enter perimenopause early than women without this history. However, the most severely depressed women were twice as likely to enter perimenopause sooner than their non-depressed peers.
Compared with non-depressed study participants, women with a history of depression had higher follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone levels and lower estrogen levels, the investigators note.
Women with a lifetime history of depression, as well as an earlier perimenopause onset, may spend a prolonged amount of time in a low-estrogen state, which has been tied to a number of health problems, the researchers note.
"Our research may encourage more screening for depression symptoms and history by gynecologists," lead author Dr. Bernard L. Harlow said in a statement. "Similarly, psychiatrists may also focus more attention on menstrual cycle changes and perimenopausal symptoms while screening late reproductive-aged patients with recurrent mood disorder."
