Substance use and psychotherapeutic medications: a likely contributor to menstrual disorders in women who are seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of substance use and psychotherapeutic medications on menstrual characteristics in women who are human immunodeficiency virus seropositive and seronegative. Menstrual calendars were prospectively collected for 1075 women who were human immunodeficiency virus seropositive and seronegative and who were enrolled in the Women's Interagency Human Immunodeficiency Virus Study or the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Epidemiology Research Study; several of the women were substance users or recipients of psychotherapeutic medications. Women who received methadone maintenance and who used injection drugs had substantially increased odds of a cycle of >or=90 days (odds ratio, 2.28; 95% CI, 1.23-4.22; and odds ratio, 3.87; 95% CI, 2.16-6.95, respectively). The use of psychotherapeutic medications increased the odds of having very short cycles, <18 days, and cycles of >or=90 days (odds ratio, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.16-2.45; and odds ratio, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.03-3.36, respectively). Clinicians should evaluate substance use, participation in methadone maintenance programs, and the use of psychotherapeutic medications and consider the neuroendocrinologic effects of these medications as a potential cause of menstrual disruptions.