--- title: Does COVID-19 stress affect menstrual cycle regularity? | Niyora description: Women healthcare workers with irregular periods reported significantly higher stress, anxiety, and depression linked to COVID-19 compared to women with regula url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-impact-of-covid-19-related-mental-health-issues-on-menstrual-cycle-2021/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does COVID-19 stress affect menstrual cycle regularity? Survey study, 2021 # Does COVID-19 stress affect menstrual cycle regularity? Women healthcare workers with irregular periods reported significantly higher stress, anxiety, and depression linked to COVID-19 compared to women with regular periods. About 28.7% of the women in the study had irregular cycles during the pandemic. Moderate study design 952 female healthcare workers in Turkey, ages 18-40 ## What they did Researchers surveyed 952 female healthcare workers in Turkey ages 18-40 who had regular periods for at least 1 year before the pandemic. Women answered online questions about COVID-19 stress, depression, anxiety, and whether their periods became irregular during the pandemic. ## What they found 679 women had regular cycles and 273 had irregular cycles during the pandemic (28.7% of the group). The irregular group had higher scores on COVID-19 stress scales, depression, anxiety, and stress measures compared to the regular group. Higher COVID-stress scores were linked to irregular menstruation. ## What it means for you Mental stress from COVID-19 appears connected to menstrual cycle changes in healthcare workers. The study was in Turkey in one occupational group, so results may not apply to all women. The study is cross-sectional, so it doesn't prove that stress caused the irregularity; there may be other causes. 952 women surveyed 28.7% had irregular cycles during pandemic 273 women with irregular cycles ## About the study Original title The impact of COVID-19-related mental health issues on menstrual cycle characteristics of female healthcare providers Authors Takmaz T, Gundogmus I, Okten SB et al. Journal The journal of obstetrics and gynaecology research Year 2021 Study design Survey study Participants 952 Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1111/jog.14900](https://doi.org/10.1111/jog.14900) ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/) 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, 2022 What factors are associated with irregular menstrual cycles and how do irregular cycles affect other symptoms? Survey study, 2024 How do hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle affect gut health and mood? Survey study, 2023 Did COVID-19 stress affect menstrual cycles and mental health? Survey study, 2022 Is stress about puberty and menstruation linked to depression and anxiety in adolescent girls? Cohort study, 2025 How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it? Randomised trial, 2024 Does curcumin reduce depression, anxiety, and stress in women with PMS and dysmenorrhea? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗