Survey study, 2015
Is a CLOCK gene variant linked to irregular periods?
Yes, girls with the 3111T > C variant in the CLOCK gene had a clear increased risk of irregular menstrual cycles. This association held even after accounting for stress, anxiety, depression, and BMI.
What they did
Cross-sectional study of 197 postmenarchal girls from two high schools in Seoul, Korea. All girls completed questionnaires about stress, anxiety, and depression and provided blood samples for DNA testing of two genes.
What they found
Girls with the CLOCK 3111T > C gene variant showed a clear increased risk of irregular menstrual cycles, even after adjusting for age, stress, anxiety, depression, and BMI. The PER3 gene variant showed no clear association with irregular cycles.
What it means for you
This gene variant may be an independent risk factor for irregular periods. However, this is a single study from Korea, and the association shown doesn't prove the gene causes the problem. The findings might not apply to all populations.
197
postmenarchal girls studied
2
gene variants tested
About the study
- Original title
- Association between the CLOCK gene 3111 T > C polymorphism and an irregular menstrual cycle in Korean adolescents
- Authors
- Kim KH, Kim Y, Ha J et al.
- Journal
- Journal of psychosomatic obstetrics and gynaecology
- Year
- 2015
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- None - observational study
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.3109/0167482x.2015.1089229
Topics
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