Higher Perceived Stress during the COVID-19 pandemic increased Menstrual Dysregulation and Menopause Symptoms

Abstract

Purpose The increased stress the globe has experienced with the COVID-19 pandemic has affected mental health, disproportionately affecting women. However, how perceived stress in the first year affected menstrual and menopausal symptoms has not yet been investigated. Methods Residents in British Columbia, Canada, were surveyed online as part of the COVID-19 Rapid Evidence Study of a Provincial Population-Based Cohort for Gender and Sex (RESPPONSE). A subgroup (n=4171) who were assigned female sex at birth (age 25-69) and were surveyed within the first 6-12 months of the pandemic (August 2020-February 2021), prior to the widespread rollout of vaccines, were retrospectively asked if they noticed changes in their menstrual or menopausal symptoms, as well as completing validated measures of stress, depression, and anxiety. Results We found that 27.8% reported menstrual cycle disturbances and 6.7% reported increased menopause symptoms. Those who scored higher on perceived stress, depression, and anxiety scales were more likely to have reproductive cycle disturbances. Free text responses revealed that reasons for disturbances were perceived to be related to the pandemic. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to research womens health issues, such as menstruation. Our data indicates that in the first year of the pandemic, almost a third of the menstruating population reported disturbances in their cycle, which is approximately two times higher than in non-pandemic situations and four times higher than any reported changes in menopausal symptoms across that first year of the pandemic.