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.
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
Topics
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