---
title: Does COVID-19 infection change women's menstrual cycles? | Niyora
description: Two-thirds of women's cycles stayed the same after COVID-19 infection, but one-third reported changes including altered bleeding or cycle length. These change
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/menstrual-cycle-changes-after-covid-19-infection-does-coronavirus-induced-stress-2022/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- Does COVID-19 infection change women's menstrual cycles?

Survey study, 2022

# Does COVID-19 infection change women's menstrual cycles?

Two-thirds of women's cycles stayed the same after COVID-19 infection, but one-third reported changes including altered bleeding or cycle length. These changes appeared to be temporary.

 Early or limited evidence

590 women (general population and healthcare workers) surveyed online

## What they did

Web survey of 590 women (some who had COVID-19 infection, some who were vaccinated), asking about menstrual cycle changes.

## What they found

Of 228 women with COVID-19 infection, 67.5% (154 women) had unchanged menstrual cycles. Menstrual bleeding decreased in 14% (32 women) and increased in 18% (42 women). Among women with severe COVID infection, 20% had heavy bleeding. Of 436 vaccinated women, 66.5% (290 women) had normal cycles, 4.8% (21 women) had decreased bleeding, and 4.1% (18 women) had increased bleeding.

## What it means for you

COVID-19 infection probably does not cause major lasting changes to menstrual cycles in most women. The study was online and relied on self-reported information, with no control group. More research is needed to understand why cycles changed in some women.

590

women surveyed

67.5%

had unchanged cycles after COVID infection

33%

reported menstrual cycle changes after COVID

## About the study

Original title Menstrual Cycle Changes after COVID-19 Infection: Does Coronavirus-induced Stress Lead to Hormonal Change? Authors Neha Agrawal, Prabhat Kumar Agrawal, Pavika Lal et al. Journal Journal of South Asian Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Year 2022 Study design Survey study Participants 590 What was tested None tested Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.5005/jp-journals-10006-2027](https://doi.org/10.5005/jp-journals-10006-2027)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)

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

Cohort study, 2025

How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it?

Review, 2025

How do stress hormone levels change during the menstrual cycle and how does this affect health?

Randomised trial, 2024

Does curcumin reduce depression, anxiety, and stress in women with PMS and dysmenorrhea?

Survey study, 2026

Does stress affect premenstrual symptoms in female athletes, and can coping strategies help?

Survey study, 2026

Is PMS worse in medical students with higher stress?

Study, 2026

Does how women's body responds to stress change across their menstrual cycle?

Ask AI about this page

Copy prompt

ChatGPT

↗

Claude

↗

Perplexity

↗

Google AI Mode

↗

Grok

↗