Nearly one in three women with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) report symptoms of depression, according to a new study published in Menopause. The research, led by a team at Erasmus University Medical Center in the Netherlands, takes a closer look at the emotional toll of this underreported condition.
The Dutch researchers also managed to isolate a few crucial drivers of depressive symptoms, such as a younger age at diagnosis, a distinct lack of emotional support, and fertility-related grief.
The emotional consequences of POI (premature menopause in laymen’s terms) can be debilitating. Earlier studies have shown that women with POI are more than three times as likely to suffer from depression. And they’re nearly five times more likely to suffer anxiety compared to their peers.
That being said, this paper – the authors contend – is among the first to examine the specific cause of that emotional fallout.
