Survey study, 2022
Does COVID-19 infection change women's menstrual cycles?
Two-thirds of women's cycles stayed the same after COVID-19 infection, but one-third reported changes including altered bleeding or cycle length. These changes appeared to be temporary.
What they did
Web survey of 590 women (some who had COVID-19 infection, some who were vaccinated), asking about menstrual cycle changes.
What they found
Of 228 women with COVID-19 infection, 67.5% (154 women) had unchanged menstrual cycles. Menstrual bleeding decreased in 14% (32 women) and increased in 18% (42 women). Among women with severe COVID infection, 20% had heavy bleeding. Of 436 vaccinated women, 66.5% (290 women) had normal cycles, 4.8% (21 women) had decreased bleeding, and 4.1% (18 women) had increased bleeding.
What it means for you
COVID-19 infection probably does not cause major lasting changes to menstrual cycles in most women. The study was online and relied on self-reported information, with no control group. More research is needed to understand why cycles changed in some women.
590
women surveyed
67.5%
had unchanged cycles after COVID infection
33%
reported menstrual cycle changes after COVID
About the study
- Original title
- Menstrual Cycle Changes after COVID-19 Infection: Does Coronavirus-induced Stress Lead to Hormonal Change?
- Authors
- Neha Agrawal, Prabhat Kumar Agrawal, Pavika Lal et al.
- Journal
- Journal of South Asian Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
- Year
- 2022
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 590
- What was tested
- None tested
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.5005/jp-journals-10006-2027
Topics
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