Objective: This study aimed to evaluate whether uterine dimensions including uterine volume, uterine shape, uterine length, cervix length, and cervix thickness measurements have a role in the severity of primary dysmenorrhea in virgin girls. Materials and Methods: Enrollment included 90 virgin girls suffering from primary dysmenorrhea. The girls were divided into three groups according to the severity of dysmenorrhea, which was determined by the visual analog scale (VAS). Patients with VAS scores of 8-10 comprised the severe primary dysmenorrhea group (n=30), 4-7 the moderate primary dysmenorrhea group (n=30), and 1-3 the mild primary dysmenorrhea group (n=30). Uterine characteristics including uterine volume, uterine shape, uterine length, cervix length, and cervix thickness were measured by a high-resolution four-dimensional ultrasound device with real-time capacity. They were recorded to determine if they can be predictors of dysmenorrhea severity. Results: Girls with severe primary dysmenorrhea were more likely to complain of midline pain as opposed to mild and moderate cases with lateral or diffuse pain. None of the uterine characteristics on ultrasonography examination were significant for predicting the severity of primary dysmenorrhea. There were no significant positive correlations between the dysmenorrhea severity and uterine corpus length, cervix length, and uterine volume degree. Any combination of the measured uterine features was not predictive for determining the severity of dysmenorrhea. Conclusion: Ultrasonographic measurements of uterine dimensions in virgins have low accuracy for predicting the severity of pain in primary dysmenorrhea.

To determine the impact of mild, moderate, and severe primary dysmenorrhea (PD) on chronotype, social jetlag, and eating disorders, as well as mood changes such as depression and anxiety. This cross-sectional study included 128 participants who presented with painful menstruation and were diagnosed with PD. Participants were selected on a voluntary basis from among medical students between the ages of 18–25 who met the study inclusion criteria as a result of the preliminary evaluation. A total of 36 patients were excluded from the study, including 15 patients diagnosed with secondary dysmenorrhea and 21 patients who did not show the typical clinical findings of PD. Dysmenorrhea intensity was assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS) for pain intensity. Ninety-two participants with typical clinical findings of PD were divided into mild (n = 30), moderate (n = 30), and severe PD (n = 32) groups according to their VAS scores, and a questionnaire was administered to them. The “Morning-Evening Test”, “Social Jetlag Test”, “Night Eating Questionnaire”, “Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)”, and “Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI)” were applied to the participants. Out of a total of 128 participants, 92 (72%) were diagnosed with PD. The VAS pain score in the severe PD group was significantly higher than that in the mild and moderate PD groups (p < 0.001 for each). In the severe PD group, the number of individuals with BAI values ​​above the threshold value (≥ 16) was higher than that in the mild and moderate PD groups (p < 0.05 for each). Similarly, BDI scores in the severe PD group were significantly higher than those in the mild PD group (p < 0.01). The rate of night eating syndrome was significantly higher in the severe than in the moderate and mild PD groups (p < 0.05 for each). There was no significant difference between the chronotypes according to dysmenorrhea severity (p = 0.461). The rate of social jet lag was ≥ 2 h in the severe PD group, significantly higher than in the mild group (p < 0.05). In addition to emotional complaints such as depression and anxiety, PD increases the incidence of night eating habits and social jet lag. No significant association was found between PD and chronotypes.

We investigated the correlation between serum anti-Toxplasma gondii IgG and suicidal thoughts in depressive patients. Depressive patients with (n = 100) and without (n = 100) suicidal thoughts along with 100 healthy control subjects were recruited for this study. In all three groups, a semi-structured clinical interview form called Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) Axis-I Disorder (SCID-I), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), suicidal behavior scale, and a sociodemographic data form were completed. Sera from all participants were taken, and anti-toxoplasma IgG was measured by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)-Chemiluminescent Microparticle Immunoassay. Statistical analysis of the data was performed. The serum anti-toxoplasma IgG levels of patients with suicidal thoughts were significantly higher than those without suicidal thoughts and the controls, which were 80.04 ± 40.66, 78 ± 14.82, and 19.98 ± 14.65, respectively, p < 0.001. There was no correlation between toxoplasma IgG and HAMD score in patients lacking suicidal thoughts (r = -0.112, p = 0.463). This study shows a correlation between seropositivity for anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG and depression with suicidal thoughts.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of mood and eating disorders, chronotype, and social jetlag in a cohort of women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Methods: A total of 70 patients, 35 with PCOS and 35 healthy controls, aged between 18 and 40 years, were included in the study. PCOS was diagnosed according to the Rotterdam criteria. Five different questionnaires, namely the “Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ)”, “Social Jetlag Status (SJL)”, “Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ)”, “Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)”, and “Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI)”, were administered to patients with and without PCOS, and the “total questionnaire scores” of both groups were compared. Results: In addition to BMI (p = 0.004), serum insulin (p < 0.001), HOMAIR (p < 0.001), total testosterone (p = 0.006), DHEAS (p = 0.004), and LH (p < 0.001) levels were significantly higher in women with PCOS than in the controls. BAI (p = 0.006), BDI (p = 0.007), and NEQ (p = 0.013) scores of participants with PCOS were significantly higher than those in the control group, while MEQ scores were significantly lower than those in the control group (p = 0.005). When categorized according to the total test scores, the number of individuals with moderate and severe anxiety was significantly higher in the PCOS group than in the control group (p = 0.030). Morningness was significantly lower in the PCOS group than in the control group, whereas eveningness was higher than that in the control group (p = 0.013). There was no difference between the PCOS and control groups in terms of the number of individuals with SJL ≥ 2 h and night eating disorders. The NEQ score was positively correlated with BAI, BMI, insulin, and HOMA-IR. Both the BDI and BAI scores were positively correlated with BMI, HOMA-IR, and total testosterone levels. Conclusions: PCOS can lead to mood, appetite, and circadian rhythm issues through variations in chronotype. PCOS-related endocrine, metabolic, and adiposity factors influence mood, eating habits, and chronotype disorders.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is prevalent among young women and may influence both mental well-being and circadian patterns. Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) has been associated with circadian rhythm disruptions, as circadian rhythms regulate physiological and biological functions throughout the day. This study investigates the impact of PMS on mental health and its association with chronotype and social jetlag among nursing students. This cross-sectional descriptive and comparative study included 98 female nursing students enrolled at a university during the spring semester of 2023. Participants who provided informed consent via Google Forms were classified into PMS and without PMS groups according to their Premenstrual Syndrome Scale (PMSS) scores. Data were collected using the PMSS, Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Social Jetlag Questionnaire. The participants’ mean age was 21.13 ± 1.46 years, their mean body mass index (BMI) was 21.75 ± 3.04, and the mean total PMSS score was 135.45 ± 42.64. Students with PMS exhibited significantly higher depression (p < 0.001, O. R = 1.126) and anxiety scores (p < 0.001, O. R = 1.094) than those without PMS. PMS presence significantly affected both depression and anxiety scores (p < 0.001, Std. Beta = 0.474; p < 0.001, Std. Beta = 0.429, respectively). No statistically significant impact of PMS on social jetlag or chronotype was observed. However, in the group with PMS, a positive and significant correlation was found between PMSS total score and social jetlag (r = 0.351, p = 0.013) and BAI total scores (r = 0.350, p = 0.013). This study demonstrates that PMS significantly affects the mental health of nursing students, as those with PMS reported higher levels of depression and anxiety. Furthermore, the finding that social jetlag and anxiety increased as PMS severity increased suggests that circadian rhythm irregularities may be a factor to consider in symptom management. This study has some limitations, including the use of self-reported data and a relatively small sample size, which may affect the generalizability of the findings. It is recommended that future research should confirm these relationships with larger samples and longitudinal designs.