Endometriosis and Mental Health: The Genetic Link to Depression and Anxiety Revealed

2023-08-08 12:45:50

Doctors at Yale University have found that endometriosis is genetically associated with an increased risk of developing depression and anxiety. informs specialized journal AMA Network Open, publishing the results of the study.

As you know, endometriosis is a common gynecological disease that occurs when the cells of the endometrium (this is the inner layer of the uterus) grow outside of it. Usually, in this case, women feel severe pain in the pelvic area, they have heavy bleeding, painful intercourse and urination, infertility, and others.

As the authors of the study write, the genetic predisposition to endometriosis may include changes in genes that affect other areas of health and organs, as well as the human psyche.

For their study, the scientists used a mouse model on which they conducted experiments and studied endometriosis. They also analyzed mental health data from more than 8,000 patients with endometriosis and 194,000 healthy women. Thus, doctors have found that the presence of endometriosis significantly increases the chances of depression, anxiety and eating disorders.

“After analyzing the genes, the authors found a significantly high genetic correlation between endometriosis and each of the three disorders,” writes the publication. “For example, the DGKB rs12666606 gene variant is common for endometriosis and depression.

The authors of the study plan to continue studying pathology in the future in order to find ways for its early diagnosis and new methods of treatment.

Previously, scientists have identified a popular product that increases the risk of kidney stones

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