--- title: Did COVID-19 stress worsen period pain and PMS symptoms in female medical students? description: Yes. Severe period pain increased from 36.9% before COVID-19 to 49.9% during the pandemic, and period symptoms were closely linked to depression and anxiety. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/covid-19-associated-mental-health-impact-on-menstrual-function-aspects-2022/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Did COVID-19 stress worsen period pain and PMS symptoms in female medical students? Survey study, 2022 # Did COVID-19 stress worsen period pain and PMS symptoms in female medical students? Yes. Severe period pain increased from 36.9% before COVID-19 to 49.9% during the pandemic, and period symptoms were closely linked to depression and anxiety. Early or limited evidence 385 female medical students in Jordan ## What they did 385 female medical students in Jordan completed an online survey about their period pain, PMS symptoms, anxiety, depression, stress, and urinary symptoms before and during COVID-19. ## What they found Severe period pain increased from 36.9% before COVID-19 to 49.9% during (p=0.000). Period pain was linked to disruptions in sports and daily activities during COVID-19 (p=0.015 and p=0.002). PMS components including breast pain, fatigue, headache, heart palpitations, and emotional and sleep disturbances all increased during COVID-19 (p less than 0.05). Period pain severity, palpitations, and lower abdominal pain were linked to worse depression. ## What it means for you Psychological stress from COVID-19 was associated with worse period pain and PMS symptoms. However, the study cannot prove stress caused these symptoms, only that they occurred together. The study included only medical students in one country and relied on people's memory of symptoms before COVID-19. 49.9% Severe period pain during COVID-19 36.9% Severe period pain before COVID-19 385 Students studied ## About the study Original title COVID-19-Associated Mental Health Impact on Menstrual Function Aspects: Dysmenorrhea and Premenstrual Syndrome, and Genitourinary Tract Health: A Cross Sectional Study among Jordanian Medical Students Authors Aolymat I, Khasawneh AI, Al-Tamimi M Journal International journal of environmental research and public health Year 2022 Study design Survey study Participants 385 What was tested None - comparison of before and during COVID-19 Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031439](https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031439) Original abstract The physiology of reproduction is affected by psychological distress through neuroendocrine pathways. Historically, COVID-19 is one of the most stressful events with devastating consequences. This research aims to investigate the relationship between dysmenorrhea, PMS, and reproductive tract health on one hand, and COVID-19-related anxiety, depression, and stress on the other among medical students in Jordan. Medical students were invited through teaching platforms and social media to complete an online survey. SPSS software was used to analyze data. A total of 385 medical students participated in this research. Hence, 49.9% of the study population reported severe dysmenorrhea during COVID-19 compared to 36.9% before COVID-19 ( p = 0.000). Dysmenorrhea was significantly associated with disruptions of sport and daily activities during COVID-19 ( p = 0.015 and p = 0.002, respectively). The prevalence of PMS components, e.g., mastalgia, fatigue, headache, palpitation, and emotional and sleep disturbances, was raised during COVID-19 compared with before ( p p p < 0.05). The multiple linear regression model revealed that dysmenorrhea severity, PMS symptoms like palpitation, and genitourinary symptoms like lower abdominal pain and urgency were associated with worsening of depression, while dysuria was associated with a protective effect against depression. Moreover, it was observed that dysmenorrhea severity, PMS symptoms, such as headache and palpitation, and urinary urgency were associated with aggravation of anxiety. However, food craving and dysuria were protective against anxiety. Finally, dysmenorrhea severity, PMS symptoms of headache and palpitation, lower abdominal pain, and urgency were related to worsening of stress, whereas the premenstrual symptom of breast pain was a protective factor against stress. This work showed that COVID-19 pandemic-related psychological distress and menstrual, premenstrual, and genitourinary symptoms are closely related. Further future work is required to evaluate the long lasting-effects of the pandemic on mental health and the physiology of reproduction. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Bloating, breast tenderness and physical symptoms](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-physical-symptoms/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Survey study, 2025 What factors are linked to PMS in female graduate students? Survey study, 2024 How common is dysmenorrhea related to PMS in university students, and how do they treat it? Survey study, 2011 Do overweight or obese women have worse PMS than normal weight women? Survey study, 1964 How common are mood and physical changes around menstruation? Cohort study, 2025 How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it? Survey study, 2026 Does exercise help college women with period problems and mental health? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗