According to a new press release from Syddansk Universitet (SDU) in Denmark, depression is significantly more common among women with reproductive health disorders.
The findings, published in Psychological Medicine, add weight to long-standing concerns about delayed diagnosis and fragmented care in women’s health.
Early signs emerge years before diagnosis
The research team analysed national registry data from over 2.2 million women, tracking mental-health indicators before and after diagnoses such as PCOS, endometriosis, and menstrual disorders.
SDU reports that prescriptions for antidepressants and psychiatric diagnoses begin rising several years before a reproductive condition is formally identified and remain elevated long afterward.
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Lead author Mette Bliddal notes that many women report emotional distress long before the healthcare system responds to their physical symptoms, suggesting that early warning signs are frequently missed.
Pain-related disorders show highest risk
While the trend spans multiple diagnoses, SDU highlights particularly sharp increases among women with pain-related conditions such as endometriosis and severe menstrual pain.
In these groups, depression occurs at roughly twice the rate observed in women without comparable disorders.
Researchers argue that the results underscore the need for care pathways that assess physical and psychological symptoms simultaneously, especially when women present with persistent pain or unexplained menstrual changes.
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Sources: Press release from Syddansk Universitet, and Psychological Medicine.
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