Autistic Traits in Women with Primary Dysmenorrhea

Background: Recent studies showed that women with ASD had higher rates of androgen related conditions, including delayed menarche age, irregular menstrual cycle, delayed menarche age, unusually painful periods, and excessive menstrual bleeding. Previously, we found elevated levels of autistic traits in females with polycystic ovary syndrome. Objectives: In this study, we investigated the autistic traits in female university students with primary dysmenorrhea (PD). Methods: The Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) was used to measure autistic traits and Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) for evaluating anxiety and depression levels. The dysmenorrheal pain was measured in each individual by a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), coded from 0-10. Seventy women with PD (VAS >6) and 70 with no PD (VAS <3) enrolled into the study. Results: There were no differences between groups in terms of age, duration of education and marital status. Women with PD had higher AQ Total and AQ Attention Switching scores than subjects without PD. Pearson analysis revealed that AQ Total and AQ Attention Switching scores were correlated with VAS, after controlling for anxiety and depression. According to the linear regression, VAS was predicted by AQ Attention Switching subscale. Conclusions: Our findings showed that women with PD had more autistic traits than age-matched women who reported no PD. These findings suggest that there may be a common mechanism between dysmenorrhea and autistic traits.