Menstrual Disorders Are Associated With Depressive Symptoms Among Women of Reproductive Age: Findings From the Korean Women's Health Survey for Sexual and Reproductive Health

BACKGROUND: Menstrual disorders and depressive symptoms are common health concerns for women. This study examined the association between menstrual disorders and depressive symptoms in women of reproductive age.

METHODS: A total of 3,088 premenopausal women aged 13-55 years were included in the current analysis from a nationwide survey conducted in 2022 to assess the reproductive health of Korean women. The severity of menstrual disorders, including dysmenorrhea, premenstrual syndrome, and abnormal uterine bleeding, was assessed using a visual analog scale. Depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Modified Poisson regression was used to estimate the prevalence ratios (PRs) of probable and definite depressive symptoms according to menstrual disorder levels.

RESULTS: More than half of women experienced at least one severe menstrual disorder. The prevalence of probable and definite depressive symptoms was 19.4% and 21.2%, respectively. The PRs for definite depressive symptoms in women with severe menstrual disorders compared to those without were 1.61 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.38-1.88) for dysmenorrhea, 2.00 (1.71-2.34) for premenstrual syndrome, and 1.40 (1.17-1.67) for abnormal uterine bleeding. Women with all three severe menstrual disorders had higher prevalence of probable (PR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.22-2.66) and definite depressive symptoms (PR, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.69-2.70) compared to women without any severe menstrual disorders (for trend < 0.001 for each).P

CONCLUSION: These results suggest that menstrual disorders are closely associated with depressive symptoms in women of reproductive age in Korea and warrant further investigation.