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Genetic and environmental factors in the aetiology of menstrual, premenstrual and neurotic symptoms: a population-based twin study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

K. S. Kendler ,
J. L. Silberg ,
M. C. Neale ,
R. C. Kessler ,
A. C. Heath  and
L. J. Eaves
K. S. Kendler*
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry and Human Genetics, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA; Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
J. L. Silberg
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry and Human Genetics, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA; Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
M. C. Neale
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry and Human Genetics, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA; Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
R. C. Kessler
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry and Human Genetics, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA; Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
A. C. Heath
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry and Human Genetics, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA; Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
L. J. Eaves
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry and Human Genetics, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA; Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
*
1 Address for correspondence: Dr Kenneth S. Kendler, Department of Psychiatry, MCV Box 710, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.
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Synopsis

Symptoms during the premenstrual and menstrual phases of the female reproductive cycle were assessed in 827 pairs of female same-sex twins from a population-based registry. By conventional factor analysis, premenstrual and menstrual symptoms were relatively independent of one another and of baseline ‘neurotic’ symptoms (i.e. anxiety, depression and somatization). Familial resemblance for menstrual and premenstrual symptoms was due solely to genetic factors with heritability estimates of 39·2% and 35·1%, respectively. Multivariate genetic analysis revealed distinct genetic and environmental factors for menstrual, premenstrual and neurotic symptoms. The genes and individual-specific experiences that predispose to premenstrual symptoms appear to be largely distinct from those which predispose either to menstrual or to neurotic symptoms. The generalizability of these results may be limited because only a modest number of premenstrual and menstrual symptoms were assessed, all by retrospective self-report.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 22 , Issue 1 , February 1992 , pp. 85 - 100
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

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