Plain language summary
The natural decline of estrogen that occurs around menopause contributes to depressive symptoms, and the severity of symptoms depends on many sociodemographic and genetic factors. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of various factors on the development of depression in women through the lifespan and establish the relationship between the severity of depression and presence of specific genes. This study analyzed 1453 women in the three different stages of menopause (pre-, peri- and post-menopause) who completed a validated questionnaire for measuring severity of depression and had blood samples taken to identify gene fragments. The results indicated depressive symptoms to be present in 27% of women. The predictive sociodemographic factors for depressive symptoms in this population are unemployment and the postmenopausal stage. Associations between the 5-HTT and MOA-A gene and depressive symptoms were also found. Based on these results, the authors conclude that while menopause is natural, the severity of symptoms is associated with various sociodemographic and genetic factors.
Abstract
Menopause is an important event in a woman's life associated with hormonal changes that play a substantial role in the functioning of her body. A decline in the level of estrogens contributes to depressive symptoms and mood disorders during this period. The severity of depressive symptoms experienced by middle-aged women depends on many factors, including sociodemographic data (e.g., menopause, employment status, and marital status) and genetic variables (MAO-A and 5-HTT gene polymorphisms). In order to assess their influence on the development of depression in females, we analyzed 1453 healthy Polish women in different stages of menopause. Based on the results, we found that the l/l + l/s inheritance model for the 5-HTT gene polymorphism was more common in women without and with moderate depressive symptoms according to the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), while the l/s model was more often observed in women with mild depression. Moreover, the overdominant 3/3 + 4/4 genotype of the MAO-A gene polymorphism was more often found in respondents without depressive symptoms, while women with depressive symptoms had more often the overdominant 3/4 genotype.
Methodological quality
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