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Increased vaginal bleeding and psychological distress: a longitudinal study of their relationship in the community
Author(s) -
Shapley Mark,
Jordan Kelvin,
Croft Peter R.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1046/j.1471-0528.2003.02458.x
Subject(s) - medicine , distress , psychological distress , odds ratio , longitudinal study , prospective cohort study , cohort study , odds , demography , obstetrics , gynecology , mental health , clinical psychology , psychiatry , logistic regression , pathology , sociology
Objective To explore the temporal relationship between the development of self‐reported symptoms of vaginal bleeding and the development of psychological distress among women in the community. Design Prospective cohort study using postal surveys at baseline and at 6 and 12 months. Setting An urban four‐partner general practice with 10,000 registered patients. Population All women aged 18–54 years on the practice age–sex register. Methods Baseline postal questionnaire with follow up questionnaires sent at 6 and 12 months. Main outcome measures The associations between the development of heavy periods and psychological distress. Results Two thousand and four hundred and thirty‐five baseline questionnaires were sent out with an initial response rate of 76%. One thousand and five hundred and thirteen women (62%) responded to all three questionnaires. Women with psychological distress at baseline were more likely to develop heavy periods 6 months later than women without distress (adjusted odds ratio 1.87, 95% CI 1.15, 3.02). Women with heavy periods at baseline were no more likely to develop psychological distress 6 months later than women with non‐heavy periods (adjusted odds ratio 1.09, 95% CI 0.73, 1.63). Similar findings existed with respect to intermenstrual bleeding and postcoital bleeding. Results of the 12‐month analysis were similar. Conclusion In the community, psychological distress appears to influence the future self‐reporting of heavy periods and other symptoms of vaginal bleeding.