The global pandemic and changes in women’s reproductive health: an observational study

Haile, Liya; Roemer, Niels van de; Danielsson, Kristina Gemzell; Capó, Josep Perelló; Lete, Iñaki; Vannuccini, Silvia; Koch, Martin; Hildebrandt, Thomas; Calaf, Joaquím

doi:10.1080/13625187.2021.2024161

Cited by 11 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…This was a retrospective survey that required online access. However, our findings of high levels of menstrual disturbances is consistent with other studies using data from menstrual tracking apps (Haile et al, 2022). In our survey we did not obtain information on the normal levels of menstrual or menopausal symptoms pre-COVID19 pandemic hence we are only able to cross study comparisons.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Relevance and Limitationssupporting

confidence: 92%

“…We found that in the first year of the pandemic, 27.8% of the naturally-cycling women+ surveyed had disturbances to their menstrual cycles. This is slightly lower than other surveys suggesting that 44% of women (including women that were younger than our own cohort 18-24) noticed changes in their cycles using fertility tracking devices 34,35 .…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 69%

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 69%

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

Leon

Baaske

Albert

et al. 2022

Preprint

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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.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Relevance and Limitationssupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 69%

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 69%

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

Leon

Baaske

Albert

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…However, although the vaccine may be associated with mild menstrual disorders, it should be noted that SARS-CoV-2 infection may not only cause menstrual cycle disturbances but can also severely affect a wide range of organs and systems in the human body. 25 It should be noted that the pandemic has affected reproductive women’s health in several areas, such as menstrual disorders during lockdown, 26 the decrease in gynecological oncology screening tests, 27 and the difficulty in training women’s health specialists. 27 Therefore, further studies are needed to confirm or contrast the present findings and to better explain the potential physiological or psychosomatic mechanisms behind these premenstrual and menstrual-related changes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Premenstrual and menstrual changes reported after COVID-19 vaccination: The EVA project

García

Aparicio

Molina-López

et al. 2022

Womens Health (Lond Engl)

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Background: Menstrual disorders were not reported as a possible secondary effect in any of the clinical trials for the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Aim: To describe the prevalence of perceived premenstrual and menstrual changes after COVID-19 vaccine administration. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: A total of 14,153 women (mean age 31.5 ± 9.3 years old) who had received the full course of vaccination at least three months earlier were included in this cross-sectional study. Data including the type of vaccine administered, perceived changes in the amount and duration of menstrual bleeding, presence of clots, cycle length, and premenstrual symptoms were collected through a retrospective online survey from June to September 2021. Results: Of the women who participated in this study, 3136 reported no menstrual changes and 11,017 (78% of the study sample) reported experiencing menstrual cycle changes after vaccination. In summary, women who reported menstrual changes after vaccination were older (overall p < 0.001) and slightly more smokers ( p = 0.05) than women who did not report any changes. The most prevalent changes in relation to premenstrual symptoms were increased fatigue (43%), abdominal bloating (37%), irritability (29%), sadness (28%), and headaches (28%). The most predominant menstrual changes were more menstrual bleeding (43%), more menstrual pain (41%), delayed menstruation (38%), fewer days of menstrual bleeding (34.5%), and shorter cycle length (32%). Conclusion: Women vaccinated against COVID-19 usually perceive mild menstrual and premenstrual changes. Future studies are warranted to clarify the physiological mechanisms behind these widely reported changes.

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Effects of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and COVID‐19 pandemic on menstrual health of women: A systematic review

Rehan

Imran

Mansoor

et al. 2022

Health Science Reports

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Background: The menstrual cycle in women is the main indicator of their reproductive health which is affected by the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. This review aims to summarize the effects of the COVID-19 infection and the global pandemic on the menstrual health of women. Methods:The literature search was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane library, and Google Scholar using keywords "COVID-19," "Menstrual Cycle," "Menstrual Cycle Irregularities," "Amenorrhea," "Polymenorrhea," and "Dysmenorrhea." The articles were selected according to the following inclusion criteria: (i) cross-sectional studies, (ii) cohort studies, (iii) surveys, and (iv) other observational studies observing the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 pandemic on menstrual health of women. Exclusion criteria included: case reports, gray literature, and website articles regarding menstrual health.Results: A total of 30,510 articles were shortlisted after a comprehensive search.Sixteen articles were included out of which 13 studies investigated the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the menstrual cycle while 3 evaluated the possible effects of COVID-19 infection on the menstrual health of women. Menstrual disorders or irregularities were a more common finding during the pandemic as compared to before (p = 0.008). Women affected by pandemic-related stress were more prone to changes in the duration of their menses (p = 0.0008), reported heavier bleeding (p = 0.028), and increased incidence of painful periods (p < 0.0001). COVID-19 infected women also reported changes in their menstrual cycle including irregular menstruation, increased symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, and infrequent menstruation.Conclusions: Women suffering from COVID-19 infection or pandemic-associated stress and anxiety were more likely to experience irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea,

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The global pandemic and changes in women’s reproductive health: an observational study

Cited by 11 publications

References 14 publications

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

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

Premenstrual and menstrual changes reported after COVID-19 vaccination: The EVA project

Effects of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and COVID‐19 pandemic on menstrual health of women: A systematic review

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