Höfundar:
Sigurbjörg Anna Guðnadóttir, Edda Björk Þórðardóttir, Donghao Lu, Jóhanna Jakobsdóttir, Thor Aspelund, Arna Hauksdóttir, Unnur Anna Valdimarsdóttir
Objectives:
Premenstrual disorders (PMDs) are common among women of reproductive age with documented negative impact on women’s health and quality of life. Yet, limited data exist on the association between PMDs and suicidality. The aim of this study was to explore the association between PMDs and risks of suicidal behaviors.
Methods:
The SAGA Cohort is a nationwide representative study of women 18-69 years residing in Iceland. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 14,634 women who responded to the revised Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool as well as the WMH-CIDI about suicidal behaviors and self-harm over the lifetime. Modified Poisson regression, with adjustment for age and other confounding. We estimated prevalence ratios (PR) for suicidal behaviors contrasting women with and without PMDs. The analysis accounted for multiple covariates and symptoms of co-morbid psychiatric disorders.
Results:
The average age of women with PMDs was 34 years while the average age of the reference group was 36 years. Women with PMDs had higher prevalence of self-harm compared to women without PMDs, (PR 1.34 (95% CI 1.24, 1.45). Similarly, women with PMDs had higher prevalence of lifetime suicidal attempts (PR 1.57 (95% CI 1.45, 1.71)). Stratification for comorbid symptoms of anxiety and depression yielded attenuated yet statistically significant associations between PMDs and suicidal attempts and self-harm.
Conclusions:
The preliminary results support a link between premenstrual disorders and self-harm and suicidal attempts over the lifetime. If confirmed in further analyses and independent prospective cohorts, our findings motivate increased surveillance of women with PMDs.