Menstrual Cycle Characteristics, Premenstrual Syndrome, and Anxiety in Midwifery Student Infected and Not Infected with COVID-19: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Objective: Periods of crisis, fear, and stress target hypothalamic-gonadal axis of women in reproductive age and can have an impact on menstrual symptoms. This study was conducted to evaluate menstrual cycle, premenstrual syndrome and anxiety in young girls with or without COVID-19 disease. 
 Methods: In this descriptive and comparative study, 216 young girls infected with COVID-19 in the last 6 months were compared with 634 young girls who were not infected yet. “Personal Description Form”, “Premenstrual Syndrome Scale (PMSS)” and “State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)” were used to collect data. 
 Results: In the study, it was determined that the mean scores of PMSS and STAI of young girls who had COVID-19 disease were higher than those who did not. It was determined that the difference between the mean scores of PMSS and STAI of young girls who had COVID-19 was statistically significant, while the difference between the mean scores of PMSS and STAI of young girls who did not have COVID-19 disease was not statistically significant. The difference between the prolongation of the two cycle intervals and the reduction of menstrual bleeding in young girls with and without COVID-19 disease was found to be statistically significant. 
 Conclusion: As a result, it can be recommended to diagnose risk factors and to apply the necessary physical and psychological midwifery approaches in order to prevent the menstrual cycle, which is accepted as a physiological and psychological process, from deviating from its normal characteristics during the COVID-19 process and in the case of diagnosis.