Association of Anxiety, Depression, and Somatization with Menstrual Problems among North Korean Women Defectors in South Korea

Kim, Mi Kyeong; Kim, Hee Sook; Kim, Seog Ju

doi:10.4306/pi.2017.14.6.727

Cited by 15 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 25 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…This would parallel changes in menstrual cyclicity that women experienced after acute life stressors such as war, natural disasters, displacement, famine, and defection. [33][34][35][36][37] Anecdotal reports of missed menstrual cycles or disruptions in menstrual cyclicity were reported in the popular press during the pandemic, yet limited data exist to confirm these reports. [38][39][40][41] To address a possible association between stress during the pandemic and reproductive health, we developed a retrospective survey to assess self-reported changes in menstrual cyclicity and perceived stress levels both before and during the Covid-19 pandemic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Stress on Menstrual Cyclicity During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: A Survey Study

Ozimek

Velez

Anvari

et al. 2022

Journal of Women's Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: The Covid-19 pandemic has introduced acute and persistent psychosocial stressors for many individuals, with emerging gender differences that suggest women may be at greater risk for poorer mental health outcomes. This may have unintended consequences for women's overall health and well-being, including disruptions to reproductive function as elevated stress is often associated with menstrual cycle irregularities. The objective of this study was to determine if and how the Covid-19 pandemic and its related stressors have impacted women's menstrual cyclicity. Materials and Methods: An online survey instrument designed to capture self-reported information on menstrual cycle changes and perceived stress levels was distributed between July and August 2020. A total of 210 women between the ages of 18-45 years met stringent inclusion and exclusion criteria and completed the survey. Results: Of the 210 respondents, more than half (54%) reported changes in their menstrual cycles. These included changes in menstrual cycle length (50%), the duration of menses (34%), and changes in premenstrual symptoms (50%). Respondents with high perceived stress scale (PSS) scores during Covid were more likely to experience a longer duration of menses ( p < 0.001) and heavier bleeding during menses ( p = 0.028) compared with those with moderate Covid PSS scores. Conclusions: By uncovering a trend in increased menstrual cycle irregularities during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, this study contributes to our understanding of the implications that the pandemic may have on women's reproductive health.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Stress on Menstrual Cyclicity During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: A Survey Study

Ozimek

Velez

Anvari

et al. 2022

Journal of Women's Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is a consensus that menorrhagia is caused by gynecological pathology, but it can also be a presentation of depression. Though menorrhagia and other forms of gynecological morbidities can precipitate depression, there are few studies indicating that history of depression may precede heavy menstrual bleeding [10,12,[51][52][53]. It has been well established that stress can lead to menstrual cycle changes by altering HPG and HPA axis [54,55].…”

Section: Depression and Its Association With Menorrhagiamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It also revealed that depression and the number of menstrual complaints were significantly correlated. This was explained by higher levels of blood bradykinin and prostaglandin associated with stress, which causes dilatation and increase in flow in pelvic blood vessels and hence causing menorrhagia and pelvic pain [ 12 ]. One study which analyzed the data from the 2002 national Health Interview Survey determined that 19% of women experienced menstrual problems including menorrhagia, dysmenorrhea, and premenstrual syndrome and they are twice more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety than those without menstrual complaints.…”

Section: Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Women diagnosed with MDD are more likely to experience severe disease with somatic symptoms and a higher degree of functional impairment [7][8][9]. One of such under-recognized yet very pertinent symptoms is menstrual cycle abnormalities, including dysmenorrhea, menorrhagia, menstrual irregularities, and premenstrual symptoms [10][11][12]. A study in 2012 concluded that there is an increased incidence of heavy menstrual bleeding by 1.89 times in women with a past medical history of MDD [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Depression and Its Effect on the Menstrual Cycle

Padda¹,

Khalid²,

Hitawala³

et al. 2021

Cureus

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A strong association is noted between depression and early perimenopause as well as menopause. The association was found to be the greatest in women with natural menopause at the age less than 40 years. Excessive corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) levels in depression lead to inhibition of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and increased cortisol levels which further inhibits the action of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons, gonadotrophs, and gonads. The resulting changes in luteinizing hormone (LH) amplitude, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels, and LH pulse frequency were noted in patients with depression.Besides depression, earlier surgical menopause is associated with cognitive decline. In addition, it is seen that menopausal changes predisposed females to an increased risk of depression. The association between dysmenorrhea and depression was found to be bidirectional and congruent in most studies. Patients with dysmenorrhea and coexisting depression had enhanced pain perception along with a poor response to pain relief measures. Even the treatment of underlying depression has been shown to cause menorrhagia. On the other hand, amenorrhea has also been reported as a side effect of sertraline and electroconvulsive therapy. Menstrual disorders contribute to a significant number of outpatient gynecological visits per year in the United States. Co-existing or history of depression can either be the cause of or interfere in the treatment of these disorders. Furthermore, the treatment of depression can be the etiology of various menstrual abnormalities, while menstrual disorders themselves could be the cause of depression. The increasing prevalence of depression, women's health, multiple female-specific subtypes, and the preexisting burden of menstrual disorders necessitates more detailed studies on the effects of depression on the menstrual cycle.

show abstract

“…북한이탈 여성의 월경문제가 있음을 제시한 연구가 있으 나 (Seo JY et al, 2004;Kim HK et al, 2016), 정신건강 상태가 월경문제에 영향을 미치는지에 관한 연구는 극히 소 수이고 (Kim HK et al, 2017), 월경문제는 가임기 여성의 생식건강문제의 중요한 건강문제를 초래하므로 간과할 수 없다. 또한 피로가 월경문제에 영향을 미치는지에 관한 연구 만이 제시되고 있다 …”

Section: 협을 느끼고 있는 북한이탈 여성은 위험한 일이 닥칠 것 같은unclassified

Difference of Menstrual Problems according to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder among North Korean Woman Defectors in South Korea

Kim¹,

Kim²

2017

Korean J Str Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: This study investigated the difference of menstrual problems according to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among North Korean woman defectors in South Korea. Methods: The 127 North Korean women in government resettlement centers in South Korea responded to a Likert scale questionnaire of Impact of Event Scale (IES-R) on December 2012. Data was analyzed using mean and t-test. Results: The mean number of menstrual problem was 1.5 (SD=1.5) in the non-PTSD group. The PTSD group had more menstrual problems (Mean=2.2, SD=1.5) than non-PTSD group and this difference was statistically significant (t=-2.32, p=0.022). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that psychological intervention is necessary for North Korean woman defectors who have traumatic experiences and menstrual problems.

show abstract

Association of Anxiety, Depression, and Somatization with Menstrual Problems among North Korean Women Defectors in South Korea

Cited by 15 publications

References 25 publications

Impact of Stress on Menstrual Cyclicity During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: A Survey Study

Impact of Stress on Menstrual Cyclicity During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: A Survey Study

Depression and Its Effect on the Menstrual Cycle

Difference of Menstrual Problems according to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder among North Korean Woman Defectors in South Korea

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About