Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T14:58:33.192Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Genetic and Environmental Variation in Menstrual Cycle: Histories of Two British Twin Samples

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

O.B.A. van den Akker*
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, University of London, UK
G.S. Stein
Affiliation:
Farnborough Hospital, Kent, UK
M.C. Neale
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, University of London, UK
R.M. Murray
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, University of London, UK
*
Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Information about menstrual cycle variables was obtained by questionnaire using 462 female twin pairs. The twins were either members of the Institute of Psychiatry Volunteer Twin Register, or of the Birmingham Population-based Register. The two samples were analysed separately using univariate and multivariate methods so that an independent replication was obtained. Maximum likelihood estimation was used to fit simple models of genetic and environmental variation to these data. The results suggest that age of menarche, menstrual cycle regularity and premenstrual symptom reporting may be heritable, whereas menstrual cycle length is not. The results should be interpreted with caution as not all variables were replicated in the smaller sample, and the method of retrospective menstrual cycle data collection has been questioned.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Twin Studies 1987

References

REFERENCES

1. Abplanalp, JM, Donnelly, AF, Rose, RM (1979): Psychoendocrinology of the menstrual cycle: enjoyment of daily activities and moods. Psychosomat Med 41:587604.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2. Akker van den, O, Steptoe, A (1985): The pattern and prevalence of symptoms during the menstrual cycle. Br J Psychiatry 147:164169.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3. Akker van den, O, Steptoe, A (1986): Stereotyped attitudes and symptom reporting during the menstrual cycle. In Lacey and Sturgeon. Psychosomatic Research. Proceedings of the 15th European Conference. London: John Libbey, pp 271273.Google Scholar
4. Arey, LB (1939): The degree of normal menstrual irregularity. Am J Obstet Gynecol 37:12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5. Bhalla, SR, Kapoor, Ak, Singh, IP (1983): Variation in age at menarche due to physical exercise and altitude. Z. Morphol Anthropol 73:323332.Google ScholarPubMed
6. Clare, AW (1977): Psychological profiles of women complaining of premenstrual symptoms. Curr Med Res Opinion Suppl 4:2328.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7. Falconer, DS (1981): Introduction to Quantitative Genetics, 2nd Ed., New York, Longman.Google Scholar
8. Fishbein, S (1977): Onset of puberty in MZ and DZ twins. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 26:151158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9. Frish, RE (1970): Science 169:397.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10. Frish, RE (1971): Arch Dis Child 46:695.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11. Gedda, L, Brenci, G (1975): Twins as a natural test of chronogenetics. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 24:1530.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12. Golden, W.L. (1981): Reproductive histories in a Norwegian twin population: evaluation of the maternal effect in early spontaneous aboition. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 30:91–65.Google Scholar
13. Jarret, LR (1984): Psychosocial and biological influences on mestruation: synchrony, cycle length and regularity. Psychoneuroendocrinology 1:2128.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14. Matsumoto, S et al (1962): Statistical studies of menstruation: a criticism of the definition of normal menstruation. Gunma J Med Sci 11:294.Google Scholar
15. McClintock, MK (1971): Menstrual synchrony and suppression. Nature 229:244245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16. Parlee, MB (1974): Stereotypic beliefs about menstruation: a methodological note on the Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire and some new data. Psychosom Med 36:229240.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17. Petri, E (1934): Untersuchungen zur Erbbedingtheit der Menarche. Z Morphol Anthropol 33:4348.Google Scholar
18. Popenoe, P (1928): Inheritance of age of onset of menstruation. Eugen News 13:101.Google Scholar
19. Satyanarayan, K, Naidu, NA (1979): Nutrition and menarche in rural Hyderabad. Ann Hum Biol 6:163165.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
20. Singh, HD (1972): Family size and age at menarche. Am J Obstet Gynecol 113:837838.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
21. Slade, P (1984): Premenstrual emotional changes in normal women: fact or fiction? J Psychosom Res 28:17.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
22. Smith, SL (1975): Mood and the menstrual cycle. In Sachar, EJ (ed): Topics in Psychoneuroendocrinology. New York: Grune & Stratton pp 1958.Google Scholar
23. Tanner, JM (1962): Age at menarche among Nigerian schoolgirls with a note on their height and weight from age 12-19 years. Hum Biol 34:187197.Google Scholar
24. Tisserand-Perrier, ML (1961): Etude comparative de certains processus de croissance chez les jumeaux. J Genet Hum 2:87102.Google Scholar
25. Treloar, AE et al (1967): Variation of the human menstrual cycle through reproductive life. Int J Fertil 12:77125.Google ScholarPubMed
26. Kessel, N, Coppen, A (1963): The prevalence of common menstrual symptoms. Lancet 2: 6164.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
27. Moos, R (1969): Menstrual Distress Questionnaire. Preliminary manual. Soc Ecology Lab Dept of Psych and Beh Sciences. Stanford Univ Palo Alto, CA.Google Scholar