Study, 2026

Did period problems get worse for women health workers during COVID-19?

Yes. More female health workers reported worsening period pain, abnormal bleeding, and PMS during COVID-19 compared to before the pandemic.

Moderate study design 194 female health workers in Turkey

What they did

Researchers studied 194 female health workers in Turkey by collecting information about their menstrual symptoms before and during COVID-19.

What they found

During COVID-19, more women had period pain (risk was 28.5 times higher), abnormal bleeding (risk was 25.5 times higher), and PMS (risk was 23 times higher) compared to before. More women also had worse PMS severity during the pandemic.

What it means for you

Pandemic stress may have made menstrual problems worse for these women. The main limit is that this only studied health workers in Turkey, so we don't know if the same happened to other women or in other countries.

194

female health workers studied

28.5x

period pain risk increase

25.5x

bleeding risk increase

About the study

Original title: Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Female Health Professionals’ Abnormal Uterine Bleeding, Dysmenorrhea, and Premenstrual Syndrome Experiences
Authors: Büşra Gök, Şengül Yaman Sözbir, Ayten Şentürk Erenel
Journal: Acibadem Universitesi Saglik Bilimleri Dergisi
Year: 2026
Study design: Study
Open access: Yes
Read the paper: doi.org/10.31067/acusaglik.1835268

Topics

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)Dysmenorrhea and period pain

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