Premenstrual disorders double the risk of suicide in women

A team of epidemiologists and environmental medicine specialists from Sweden, Iceland and the United States found that women in Sweden with premenstrual disorder (PMR) are twice as likely to commit suicide compared to those without the disorder.

In their study, published in JAMA Network Open, the team analyzed data from several Swedish national registries on women with VUR.

Previous studies have shown that the basic length of the menstrual cycle is usually between 23 and 38 days, totaling approximately 480 cycles over a lifetime. The period before your period begins is called the premenstrual period, which usually lasts about a week. Many women experience depression, anger, mood swings and anxiety during this period. Those who experience these symptoms in extreme forms suffer from premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

It was previously known that women with severe forms of VUR are more likely to be involved in accidents, and some studies have suggested that they have an increased risk of suicide. The research team examined this risk by analyzing data from several Swedish national registries and tracking mortality rates among 67,748 women diagnosed with VUR between 2001 and 2018.

By studying causes of death and comparing mortality rates between women with and without MTCT, they found that women with the disorder were more likely to die from unnatural causes and, on average, were twice as likely to commit suicide. Specifically, the researchers found an overall mortality rate of 8.4 per 10,000 person-years among women with VUR. Women with PMR also had a higher risk of death from unnatural causes, especially suicide, with a hazard ratio of 1.92.

The research team did not attempt to identify the reasons for the increased risk of suicide, but they suggest that more research is needed to find the reasons and possibly find ways to reduce both the outcome and the causes of suicide among women with PMR.