Could endometriosis raise risk of depression?

WOMEN with endometriosis may be more vulnerable to depression and anxiety.

This was the suggestion from a recent study of mice at Yale University in the U. S. In endometriosis, cells that are normally found in the womb occur in other parts of the body, causing pain.

The researchers implanted endometriosis cells in mice and then put them through examinations used to test their mental health, such as picking them up by their tails — depressed mice flop, but healthy mice squirm.

The mice given the endometriosis cells were more anxious and depressed. The researchers say that endometriosis reprogrammes the brain, though it’s not clear how.