Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the National Institute of Mental Health have found that there is a possible link between a certain genetic variation and increased risk for severe premenstrual depression.

This psychiatric condition, known as a premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD, affects around 8 percent of women in their child-bearing years and is characterized by severe irritability and anxiety during second half of the menstrual cycle.

From News-Medical.Net:

Compared to the control group, women with PMDD were significantly more likely to have the ESR1 gene variants, the study found.

“While these are preliminary findings that require replication in larger studies, we would argue that this may explain part of the variance among women in the susceptibility to developing this mood disorder,” Rubinow said. “Studies have shown that PMDD is characterized by abnormal sensitivity to reproductive steroids like estrogen. As a receptor for the hormone that can trigger the onset of PMDD symptoms, ESR1 has clear physiologic relevance for this disorder.”

The authors acknowledge that as with other complex genetic disorders, the contribution to PMDD of polymorphisms in a single gene may not be large. In addition, they also noted that the findings may be telling us more about the control group.

Dr. David R. Rubinow, the study’s senior author and the Meymandi distinguished professor and chair of psychiatry at UNC School of Medicine, said that the study may help in finding important clues to as to why some women suffer mood changes and others do not besides ascertaining the nature of that susceptibility.

Tags: Estrogen, menstrual cycle, PMDD, premenstrual depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, steroids

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