The genetic background of climacteric symptoms in women during menopause

The subject of the study is the evaluation of the correlation between the polymorphism of candidate genes in the aetiology of depression and the occurrence of the symptoms of the climacteric syndrome in women during menopause. The group subjected to the study comprised of 203 women aged between 42-65 years: 71 of them still menstruated (premenopausal group) and 132 at least one year after the last period (post menopausal group), admitted to the Department of Gynecological Endocrinology at the University of Medical Sciences in Poznan with symptoms of the climacteric syndrome. All the examined women were evaluated according to the degree of severity of the climacteric syndrome symptoms using the Kupperman index and the concentration of FSH, LH hormones, 17 beta-estradiol, PRL, total testosterone, and DHEAS in peripheral blood serum. Among the candidate genes in the aetiology of depression the following were selected for the research: the serotonergic system receptor genes: 5HTR2A, 5HTR1B, 5HTR2C, TPH1, TPH2, and MAO-A; the genes of noradrenergic and dopaminergic systems (COMT, NET), the genes of the GABAergic (GABRB1) system, a gene of the estrogen receptor (ESR1), and the genes of the enzymes crucial in the methyl cycle (MTHRF, MTR, and MTHED1). With regards to the correlation between the examined polymorphisms and the occurrence of the symptoms of the climacteric syndrome, the associations analysis indicated a connection between GABRB1.TaqI polymorphism and the occurrence of vertigo in premenopausal women (0.0198; after correction: 0.0497 CC to CA). The correlation was also found regarding the examined polymorphisms and the concentration of the examined hormones in blood serum: TPH1.MaeI polymorphism and the LH concentration in the postmenopausal group (0.004; after correction: 0.014 CC to CA), NET.Eco1471 polymorphism, and the 17 beta-estradiol concentration in the postmenopausal group (0.0208; after correction: 0.048 GG to GA) and HTR2AMspI polymorphism and PRL concentration in all examined women (0.03; after correction: 0.038 TT to CT).