Shared genetic influences on depression and menopause symptoms.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Women experience major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) approximately twice as often as men. Estrogen is thought to contribute to sex differences in these disorders, and reduced estrogen is also known to be a key driver of menopause symptoms such as hot flashes. Moreover, estrogen is used to treat menopause symptoms. In order to test for potential shared genetic influences between menopause symptoms and psychiatric disorders, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of estrogen medication use (as a proxy for menopause symptoms) in the UK Biobank.

Methods

The analysis included 232 993 women aged 39-71 in the UK Biobank. The outcome variable for genetic analyses was estrogen medication use, excluding women using hormonal contraceptives

SUBMITTER: Meijsen JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9167895 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature