Is there a relationship between mood disorders and dysmenorrhea?

Menstrual problems are common among adolescent females. Mood changes are related to menstrual problems (menorrhagia, dysmenorrhea, and abnormal menstrual cycle length). The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between depressive symptoms, anxiety, and premenstrual syndrome (PMS) with dysmenorrhea in adolescent girls.

A total of 159 adolescent girls (aged 13-19 y) with regular menstrual cycles presenting to the gynecology clinic with any complaints were included in the study during April-May 2013. All of the participants filled up the sociodemographic data collection form, FACES Pain Rating Scale, Beck anxiety inventory (BAI), Beck depression inventory (BDI), and a questionnaire form on criteria for PMS. Mann-Whitney U and chi-square tests were used to analyze the data.

The prevalence of dysmenorrhea was 67.9%. The mean BAI and BDI scores of the patients were 13.64 ± 12.81 and 11.88 ± 10.83, respectively. Statistically significant differences were observed between patients and control groups on the BAI and BDI scoring (P < .05). At least 1 of the symptoms of the PMS was detected in all of the participants and 29 (18.2%) of them were diagnosed as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). The mean BAI score of the patients with PMS and PMDD were 9.65 ± 9.28 and 21.31 ± 15.75, respectively. The mean BDI score of the patients with PMS and PMDD were 8.39 ± 8.62 and 19.1 ± 11.85, respectively. Statistically significant differences were observed between PMS/PMDD and BAI/BDI scoring (P = .00).

Adolescent girls with dysmenorrhea have an increased risk of depression and anxiety. These results of our study are significant in emphasizing the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to primary dysmenorrhea follow-up and treatment.