Cortisol Level Related to Depression in Women with Endometriosis

Adnan Abadi, Aria Indrabrata, Iskandar Zulqarnain, Theodorus, Abdullah Sahab, Kemas Yusuf Effendi, Heriyadi Manan, Fatimah Usman, Awan Nurtjahyo, Cindy Kesty
Bioscientia Medicina : Journal of Biomedicine and Translational Research · 2022 · vol. 6(6) , pp. 1942–1950 · doi:10.37275/bsm.v6i6.537 · W4229451336
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-12 ⓘ

This study found a significant relationship between lower serum cortisol levels and depression in women with endometriosis, indicating a higher risk of depression in those with cortisol levels below 7.4 mg/dl.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-12 · read from full text ⓘ

This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between serum cortisol levels and depression severity in 74 women with endometriosis recruited from a reproductive endocrinology clinic and inpatient ward in 2020, using ELISA for cortisol and the Beck Depression Inventory for depression status. Women with endometriosis who had depression showed significantly lower cortisol levels than those without depression (p=0.017), and cortisol ≤7.4 mg/dl was associated with a higher risk of depression (OR=3.023, p=0.041) with a low negative correlation between cortisol level and BDI scores (r=-0.249, p=0.032). The paper’s main limitation is its cross-sectional design, which cannot establish directionality or causality between cortisol and depression. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — it specifically tests cortisol levels as related to depression in women with endometriosis.

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Abstract

Background: Several main symptoms of endometriosis can lead to physical and psychological stress and also hormonal disturbances as the result of prolonged stress. Cortisol was associated with the onset of depression. This study aimed to determine the relationship between cortisol levels and depression in women with endometriosis at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Dr. Mohammad Hoesin General Hospital (RSMH) Palembang. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed at the Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility outpatient clinic and inpatient ward, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Dr. Mohammad Hoesin General Hospital Palembang, from January to November 2020. There were 74 samples of endometriosis patients who met the inclusion criteria. The blood cortisol level was examined using the ELISA method. The determination of depression level was performed by filling out the Beck Depression Inventory questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22.0. Results: Seventy-four samples met the inclusion criteria. As many as 44 patients (59.5%) without depression, 20 patients (27%) with mild depression, 8 patients (10.8%) with moderate depression, and only 2 patients (2.7%) with severe depression. There were no differences in age, marital status, parity, menstrual cycle, and duration of treatment between endometriosis patients with and without depression (p > 0.05). There was a significant difference in cortisol levels between endometriosis patients with and without depression (p = 0.017). Endometriosis patients with cortisol levels ≤ 7.4 mg/dl were three times more at risk of depression than endometriosis patients with cortisol levels > 7.4 mg/dl. In addition, there was a significant relationship between cortisol level and depression status (OR = 3.023 (95% CI 1.153–7.942; p = 0.041). This study also found a significantly low negative correlation between cortisol levels and BDI scores (r = -0.249; p = 0.032). Conclusion: There was a significant relationship between serum cortisol levels and depression in women with endometriosis. Endometriosis patients with depression had significantly lower cortisol levels than endometriosis patients without depression.
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Abstract

Background: Several main symptoms of endometriosis can lead to physical and psychological stress and also hormonal disturbances as the result of prolonged stress. Cortisol was associated with the onset of depression. This study aimed to determine the relationship between cortisol levels and depression in women with endometriosis at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Dr. Mohammad Hoesin General Hospital (RSMH) Palembang.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was performed at the Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility outpatient clinic and inpatient ward, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Dr. Mohammad Hoesin General Hospital Palembang, from January to November 2020. There were 74 samples of endometriosis patients who met the inclusion criteria. The blood cortisol level was examined using the ELISA method. The determination of depression level was performed by filling out the Beck Depression Inventory questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22.0.

Results

Seventy-four samples met the inclusion criteria. As many as 44 patients (59.5%) without depression, 20 patients (27%) with mild depression, 8 patients (10.8%) with moderate depression, and only 2 patients (2.7%) with severe depression. There were no differences in age, marital status, parity, menstrual cycle, and duration of treatment between endometriosis patients with and without depression (p > 0.05). There was a significant difference in cortisol levels between endometriosis patients with and without depression (p = 0.017). Endometriosis patients with cortisol levels ≤ 7.4 mg/dl were three times more at risk of depression than endometriosis patients with cortisol levels > 7.4 mg/dl. In addition, there was a significant relationship between cortisol level and depression status (OR = 3.023 (95% CI 1.153–7.942; p = 0.041). This study also found a significantly low negative correlation between cortisol levels and BDI scores (r = -0.249; p = 0.032).

Conclusion

There was a significant relationship between serum cortisol levels and depression in women with endometriosis. Endometriosis patients with depression had significantly lower cortisol levels than endometriosis patients without depression.

Keywords

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Condition tags

endometriosisinfertility

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (12)

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