Self-Reported Menstrual Alterations During the COVID-19 Syndemic in Spain: A Cross-Sectional Study

Medina-Perucha, Laura; López-Jiménez, Tomás; Holst, Anna Sofie; Jacques-Aviñó, Constanza; Munrós-Feliu, Jordina; Martínez-Bueno, Cristina; Valls-Llobet, Carme; Pinzón-Sanabria, Diana; Vicente-Hernández, Ma Mercedes; Berenguera, Anna

doi:10.2147/ijwh.s354655

Cited by 22 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 61 publications

(54 reference statements)

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“…Impacts on the reproductive system are often reported in long COVID, although little research has been done to document the extent of the impact and sex-specific pathophysiology. Menstrual alterations are more likely to occur in women and people who menstruate with long COVID than in women and people who menstruate with no history of COVID and those who had COVID-19 but not long COVID 124 . Menstruation and the week before menstruation have been identified by patients as triggers for relapses of long COVID symptoms 7 .…”

Section: Major Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long COVID: major findings, mechanisms and recommendations

Davis¹,

McCorkell²,

et al. 2023

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Long COVID is an often debilitating illness that occurs in at least 10% of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. More than 200 symptoms have been identified with impacts on multiple organ systems. At least 65 million individuals worldwide are estimated to have long COVID, with cases increasing daily. Biomedical research has made substantial progress in identifying various pathophysiological changes and risk factors and in characterizing the illness; further, similarities with other viral-onset illnesses such as myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome have laid the groundwork for research in the field. In this Review, we explore the current literature and highlight key findings, the overlap with other conditions, the variable onset of symptoms, long COVID in children and the impact of vaccinations. Although these key findings are critical to understanding long COVID, current diagnostic and treatment options are insufficient, and clinical trials must be prioritized that address leading hypotheses. Additionally, to strengthen long COVID research, future studies must account for biases and SARS-CoV-2 testing issues, build on viral-onset research, be inclusive of marginalized populations and meaningfully engage patients throughout the research process.

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Section: Major Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long COVID: major findings, mechanisms and recommendations

Davis¹,

McCorkell²,

et al. 2023

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“…A compounding feedback loop may exist between menstrual irregularities and stress, thus decreasing the quality of life of many women. Stressful situations may lead to irregular menstrual cycles, which in turn may have downstream impacts on stress for some women ( 31 , 56 ). For example, work or family responsibilities during the pandemic may have increased stress, contributing to menstrual irregularities and worsening health outcomes for women ( 56 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Stressful situations may lead to irregular menstrual cycles, which in turn may have downstream impacts on stress for some women ( 31 , 56 ). For example, work or family responsibilities during the pandemic may have increased stress, contributing to menstrual irregularities and worsening health outcomes for women ( 56 ). Furthermore, negative financial considerations, such as loss of employment or loss of benefits, may have also been stressors and negatively impacted women's sexual health ( 56 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Menstrual cycles during COVID-19 lockdowns: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Chao

Menon²,

Elgendi³

2022

Front. Reprod. Health

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Coronavirus disease 2019 lockdowns produced psychological and lifestyle consequences for women of reproductive age and changes in their menstrual cycles. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review to characterize changes in menstrual cycle length associated with lockdowns compared to non-lockdown periods. A search on 5 May 2022 retrieved articles published between 1 December 2019, and 1 May 2022, from Medline, Embase, and Web of Science. The included articles were peer-reviewed observational studies with full texts in English, that reported menstrual cycle lengths during lockdowns and non-lockdowns. Cross-sectional and cohort studies were appraised using the Appraisal tool for Cross-Sectional Studies and the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool for Cohort Studies, respectively. Review Manager was used to generate a forest plot with odds ratios (OR) at the 95% confidence interval (CI), finding a significant association between lockdown and menstrual cycle length changes for 21,729 women of reproductive age (OR = 9.14, CI: 3.16–26.50) with a significant overall effect of the mean (Z = 4.08, p < 0.0001). High heterogeneity with significant dispersion of values was observed (I2 = 99%, τ = 1.40, χ2 = 583.78, p < 0.0001). This review was limited by the availability of published articles that favored high-income countries. The results have implications for adequately preparing women and assisting them with menstrual concerns during lockdown periods.

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“…In many women, menstrual cycle irregularities were observed during the pandemic period. In recent studies, it is observed that SARS-CoV-2 infection itself, COVID-19 vaccines, and also stress in the pandemic may affect the menstrual cycle [2][3][4]. SARS-CoV-2 infection may affect the hypothalamicpituitary-ovarian-endometrial axis, resulting in hypothalamic hypogonadism, which may cause temporary menstrual irregularities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Menstrual Changes after COVID-19 Infection and COVID-19 Vaccination

Taşkaldıran

Vuraloğlu

Bozkuş

et al. 2022

International Journal of Clinical Practice

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Background. Several factors such as stress, depression, infection, and vaccination influenced the menstrual cycle in women during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We investigated whether there were changes in the menstrual cycle in women after COVID-19 vaccination or infection and, if so, the nature of the change. Methods. This study was designed as a descriptive, cross-sectional study. A face-to-face survey was conducted among menstruating women aged 18–50 years from May 31 to July 31, 2022. Women were inquired about their first three menstrual cycles that occurred after COVID-19 infection or vaccination. Results. Of 241 women with COVID-19 infection, 86 (35.7%) mentioned that they experienced various changes in their menstrual patterns in the first three cycles after infection. Of 537 participants who received various COVID-19 vaccines, 82 (15.1%) stated that they experienced changes in their menstrual patterns after vaccination. The incidence of postvaccination menstrual change was higher in women who received Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinovac (CoronaVac) vaccines. Only 10.9% of women who reported a change in their menstrual pattern after vaccination or infection consulted a physician. Conclusion. COVID-19 infection and vaccination can affect the menstrual cycle in women. It is important to be aware of the menstrual changes after COVID-19 infection and vaccination and to warn and inform women about this issue.

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Self-Reported Menstrual Alterations During the COVID-19 Syndemic in Spain: A Cross-Sectional Study

Cited by 22 publications

References 61 publications

Long COVID: major findings, mechanisms and recommendations

Long COVID: major findings, mechanisms and recommendations

Menstrual cycles during COVID-19 lockdowns: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Menstrual Changes after COVID-19 Infection and COVID-19 Vaccination

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