Survey study, 2015
Do emotional problems get worse before menstruation for women veterans?
Yes, about 4 in 10 women veterans reported their emotional problems got worse before menstruation. Many also reported emotional changes during pregnancy, after birth, and perimenopause.
What they did
Researchers asked 68 women veterans at a VA clinic about when their emotional problems got worse. They used a questionnaire, interviews, and medical records over a 5-month period.
What they found
42.6% said their emotional problems got worse before menstruation. 33.3% during pregnancy, 33.3% after birth, and 18.2% during perimenopause. 22.1% had painful sex and 17.6% had pelvic pain. Of pregnancies, 70.0% were unintended and 63.5% of women who had been pregnant experienced pregnancy loss.
What it means for you
For women veterans receiving mental health care, hormonal cycle changes affect emotional symptoms, and pain during or around sex and in the pelvis are common alongside psychiatric symptoms. The study asked women to remember past experiences, so it describes what women reported rather than proving menstruation was the cause.
42.6%
reported emotional problems worse before period
70.0%
had unintended pregnancies
22.1%
had painful sex
About the study
- Original title
- Gender-specific mental health care needs of women veterans treated for psychiatric disorders in a Veterans Administration Women's Health Clinic
- Authors
- Miller LJ, Ghadiali NY
- Journal
- Medical care
- Year
- 2015
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 68
- What was tested
- None - survey asking about emotional changes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1097/mlr.0000000000000282
Topics
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