Perimenopause is related to an increased risk of bipolar and major depression.

Women are passing by. Perimenopause – The transition period around menopause – greater than doubles the possibility of development. Bipolar disorder According to the primary time Our research. Our study is the primary to analyze the connection between perimenopause and the onset of severe psychiatric conditions.

Many people consider menopause as a single event that happens around a girl's early 50s, the typical age of her last period. But it's a gradual process that sometimes occurs between the ages of 45 and 55.

Perimenopause is the period leading as much as and following menopause, during which hormonal changes affect the menstrual cycle. This phase varies from individual to individual and might last for several years. Symptoms may include hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings and irregular periods.

Although physical symptoms are common, the potential effects of perimenopause on mental health — including mood changes and severe psychiatric disorders — are understudied and under-researched.

We were inspired to conduct our research by patients at Professor DeFlorio's mental health clinic. It offers a free medical service that gives a second opinion for people experiencing severe psychological disorders related to reproductive events.

Many of the ladies within the clinic had never experienced serious mental health problems before menopause. But something appeared to change during perimenopause. Suddenly many individuals find themselves in these situations. However, upon reviewing the research, it appeared that these women's experiences had not been documented or explored within the scientific literature.

To address this research gap and find answers, we conducted research using a big database. UK Biobank. It's a resource that provides accredited researchers secure access to the anonymized medical and genetic data of half 1,000,000 volunteers. It goals to enhance our understanding of learn how to prevent, diagnose and treat many serious conditions.

What we found

Using the info, we examined what number of participants had latest onsets of psychiatric conditions during perimenopause. We then compared this with the number of recent onsets throughout the late reproductive phase, the years before perimenopause.

The data we reviewed got here from 128,294 women within the UK. We desired to learn how the years surrounding the last menstrual period can result in serious mental health problems, including bipolar and major depressive disorders. We discovered a 112% increase in latest cases of bipolar disorder. We also found a 30% increase in major depressive states during this time in comparison with the early stages of the late reproductive period.

Our study was the primary of its kind to analyze the primary onset of bipolar disorder during perimenopause. It validates the experiences of ladies who were previously largely invisible within the research world.

While there are some hypotheses as to why perimenopause and hormones may play a task in psychiatric disorders, rather more research is required to raised understand why it affects some people but not others. Researchers also must uncover the most effective treatment options for these women.

We hope that our research will pave the way in which for further research into women's mental health, in addition to further investigations into the underlying biological mechanisms.