University of Bristol

Academic Institute

Gemma SharpDr Rebecca RichmondBethan Whiddon

B3782

Female reproductive health and research into menstruation disorders/traits is an incredibly underfunded area of medical research. It is commonplace for data to be collected as part of questionnaires, yet much of the data collected by UK Biobank and the ALSPAC cohort has had little attention to date. Conducting a Genome-wide association study (GWAS) would be a promising approach to improve the knowledge and understanding of the genetic contribution and variants associated with these phenotypes. Heavy menstrual bleeding and painful periods are considered common conditions, yet the prevalence is unclear, with studies reporting between 16-91% for painful periods and 20-54% for heavy menstrual bleeding in different populations(1, 2). It is clear further research is needed within this field to better understand the genetic architecture of menstrual disorders. In this student project, the student will conduct GWAS of menstrual conditions in UK Biobank and seek replication in ALSPAC.

We plan to publish results of this novel GWAS and the results will also inform future genetic epidemiological studies to explore causal associations between risk factors, menstrual traits and outcomes.

17/05/2021