High Co-Occurrence Between Psychiatric and Reproductive Disorders

A systematic review and meta-analysis published in JAMA Network Open analyzed the association between mental health and reproductive disorders in women. While the researchers could not identify a shared cause, the data showed a high co-occurrence between psychiatric and reproductive disorders.

The investigators narrowed 1,197 observational studies between January 1980 and December 2019 down to 81 studies using inclusion criteria. Most of the studies reviewed, 50, were qualitatively analyzed, while the remaining 31 were analyzed quantitatively.

The analyzed studies focused on women of reproductive age between 13 and 55 years old. Excluding diagnoses linked to life events, the researchers collected data on psychotic, affective, anxiety, behavioral, neurodevelopmental, and early-onset psychiatric disorders. Additionally, the collected studies included data on inflammatory diseases of female pelvic organs, other conditions of the female genital tract, and ovarian dysfunction.

The data revealed that having a reproductive disorder was linked to a 2–3 times greater probability of having a psychiatric disorder.

To gain more insight, the researchers narrowed down the analysis by disease. They found that polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) increased depression probability by 71% based on data from population-based studies. Focusing on data from clinical trials, depression probability was 2.5 times greater in patients with PCOS.

Additionally, using population-based studies, a PCOS diagnosis was linked to a 69% greater chance of having anxiety. Using data from clinical trials, the risk was nearly three times greater for PCOS patients.

Chronic pelvic pain is another reproductive disorder associated with a significantly higher probability of mental illness. Those with chronic pelvic pain are nearly four times more likely to have depression. Additionally, they are over twice as likely to have anxiety.

Considering that reproductive and mental health disorders are some of the most common conditions diagnosed in women of reproductive age, the researchers aimed to identify a link between them.

“Further investigations into these associations are needed to understand whether these disorders are causally associated. To improve the quality of the evidence, with implications for clinical care, future studies should place greater emphasis on the collection of accurate mental health data in reproductive health settings and deeper inquiry into somatic concerns, reproductive disorders, and menstrual status in psychiatric settings,” concluded researchers in the study.