Image courtesy of Wellcome Collection.
Alongside debilitating pains, heavy periods, and increased risk of infertility, some women with endometriosis are experiencing mood disruptions as a side effect of their first-line treatment—oral contraceptives (OCs). Endometriosis arises when tissue similar to the endometrial lining grows on parts of the female reproductive tract other than the uterus.
A study led by postdoctoral fellow Cansu Cevik at the Yale School of Medicine found that endometriosis patients who did not previously have depression and were prescribed OCs reported new symptoms of depression, and those diagnosed with depression showed worsening symptoms. The study evaluated medical records of 5,392 hospital endometriosis encounters at Yale New Haven Hospital over twelve years, dating from September 2012 to September 2024.
OCs such as progestin are an accessible option that can alleviate the painful symptoms of endometriosis. However, because of potential mood disruptions, patients often discontinue their treatments and end up suffering from endometriosis symptoms. Because of the study’s findings, the researchers are urging physicians to consider the mood disruption effects of OCs and conduct deeper evaluations with patients before prescribing OCs as a treatment option. “Endometriosis often takes eight to ten years to diagnose, so we should do our best to minimize the patients’ prolonged struggles,” Cevik said.
One in three women with endometriosis do not respond to the common OC progestin. Cevik’s current work has a focus on identifying molecular markers for detecting progestin resistance as it is crucial to optimizing the treatment pipeline for endometriosis.