--- title: Did COVID-19 stress affect menstrual cycles and mental health? description: Yes, during the pandemic women had longer cycles, more heavy bleeding days, and more mental health problems like depression and anxiety. The proportion of wom url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/covid-19-associated-mental-health-impact-on-menstruation-physiology-a-survey-2023/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Did COVID-19 stress affect menstrual cycles and mental health? Survey study, 2023 # Did COVID-19 stress affect menstrual cycles and mental health? Yes, during the pandemic women had longer cycles, more heavy bleeding days, and more mental health problems like depression and anxiety. The proportion of women with heavy bleeding more than doubled. Early or limited evidence 385 female medical students in Jordan, mean age 19.89 years ## What they did 385 female medical students in Jordan answered an online questionnaire about their menstrual characteristics and mental health. They reported on their symptoms 10 months into the pandemic and compared them with how things were 10 months before the pandemic began. ## What they found Menstrual cycle length increased from 30.02 days to 32.23 days. The number of days with heavy bleeding increased from 2.42 days to 2.82 days. The proportion of women with heavy bleeding more than doubled from 10.4% to 27.3%. More women reported nausea, vomiting, breast pain, and urinary urgency. Mental health problems like depression, anxiety, and stress were linked to heavier bleeding and other menstrual symptoms. ## What it means for you Pandemic stress was linked to longer menstrual cycles, more severe bleeding, and other menstrual symptoms, which were in turn linked to mental health problems. The study was limited to medical students in Jordan who could take an online survey. 385 female medical students 30.02 to 32.23 cycle length increased 10.4% to 27.3% heavy bleeding increased ## About the study Original title COVID-19-associated mental health impact on menstruation physiology: A survey study among medical students in Jordan Authors Aolymat I, Al-Tamimi M, Almomani H et al. Journal Women's health (London, England) Year 2023 Study design Survey study Participants 385 Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1177/17455057221150099](https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057221150099) ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Survey study, 2026 Does exercise help college women with period problems and mental health? Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Randomised trial, 2013 Does yoga reduce PMS symptoms and physical stress markers? Survey study, 2024 How do hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle affect gut health and mood? Randomised trial, 2023 What does research show about PMDD neurochemistry? Cohort study, 2019 Is there a link between menstrual symptoms and anxiety, depression, and stress in teenage girls? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗