Many women live with painful gynecological conditions like endometriosis, PCOS, and irregular periods. These health issues are common, and they often affect everyday life.
Women may feel pain, discomfort, and even emotional distress for years before they get a proper diagnosis and treatment.
A new study from the University of Southern Denmark has revealed that mental health symptoms, especially depression, may start long before a diagnosis is made.
The study, published in the journal Psychological Medicine, looked at health data from more than 2.2 million women in Denmark between the ages of 15 and 49. Researchers followed these women over a 13-year period, from 2005 to 2018.
They found that about 12%—or over 265,000 women—were diagnosed with at least one of 24 different gynecological conditions. These included endometriosis, PCOS, painful or irregular periods, and pelvic pain.
One of the most important findings was that depression was 44% more common in women with a reproductive disorder even before they were diagnosed. In fact, the risk of depression started rising up to three years before diagnosis and continued for up to three years afterward.
The increase in depression was most noticeable in the year following diagnosis, where the risk was between 15% and 109% higher depending on the condition.
Depression was tracked in two ways: through hospital records and by seeing whether women had filled prescriptions for antidepressants. The trend was the same in both cases—women with these physical health problems were much more likely to also have depression.
The link between mental health and physical health was especially strong for women with painful conditions like menstrual cramps and endometriosis.
These women had nearly twice the risk of depression compared to women without these issues. Researchers believe that the ongoing physical pain and discomfort may contribute to feelings of sadness, anxiety, and stress.
Lead researcher Mette Bliddal says that many women show signs of emotional distress long before doctors recognize the physical problem.
This means their mental health struggles often go unnoticed or untreated for years. She believes this shows a clear need for better care—care that takes both physical and emotional health into account.
The study doesn’t prove that reproductive disorders cause depression. But the strong link between the two suggests that the healthcare system needs to pay closer attention to mental well-being when treating women with gynecological symptoms.
Right now, doctors often focus only on the physical side, which may leave emotional struggles untreated.
Bliddal and her colleagues are calling for a more integrated approach to women’s health. This means that both general practitioners and gynecologists should also consider a woman’s mental health when assessing reproductive issues.
Providing this kind of care could help improve diagnosis and treatment, and it might also help women feel better faster.
In summary, the study shows that depression is more common among women with reproductive health problems—and that this emotional distress can begin years before a diagnosis.
By paying attention to these early mental health signs, doctors may be able to offer help sooner and improve women’s overall well-being.
If you care about health, please read studies that scientists find a core feature of depression and this metal in the brain strongly linked to depression.
For more health information, please see recent studies about drug for mental health that may harm the brain, and results showing this therapy more effective than ketamine in treating severe depression.
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