A recent study conducted by experts concluded that COVID-19 related stress can cause irregular menstrual cycles.
This claim was reported in this latest health news obtained from PUNCH Healthwise.
Researchers at Northwestern University, United States, drew these statistics from 200 women. The result was revealed between July and August 2020. These women experienced irregularities in their cycles during the COVID-19 pandemic in March.
The goal of the study was to find out if stress during the COVID-19 pandemic affected their cycles.
Also, read the latest health news in Nigeria.
‘Impact of Stress on Menstrual Cyclicity During the COVID-19 Pandemic’ is the title of the study.
The experts revealed the result of the study in a publication of Science Daily.
More than half of the women experienced changes in their menstrual cycle after the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020.
The signs of impacts of COVID-19 related stress on the menstrual cycle against women were:
i. Heavier menstrual bleeding.
ii. Longer duration of their period before the COVID-19 pandemic.
This study creates a clearer picture of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women. This includes the impact on their mental and reproductive health.
One of the researchers, Nicole Woitowich revealed this claim to news correspondence. Woitowich is a Research Assistant Professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Woitowich is also a Lead and corresponding author.
“We know added stress can negatively impact our overall health and well-being.” “For women and people who menstruate, stress can also disrupt normal menstrual cycle patterns,” he said. Woitowich added that it also affected reproductive health.”
In old research, experts found women experience irregular menstrual cycles over:
· Mood disorders such as; anxiety and depression.
· Acute life stressors like natural disasters, displacement, famine or defection.
The expert continued that “given the unprecedented nature of the pandemic and its significant impact on mental health.”
They classed the data as unsurprising. They also corroborated it with anecdotal reports in the popular press and on social media.
“Reproductive health should not be ignored in the context of COVID-19,”
“We are already seeing the ripple effects of what happens when we fail to consider this important facet of women’s health. As many are now experiencing menstrual cycle irregularities as a result of the COVID-19 vaccines or COVID-19 infection.”
Social media is one of the major platforms where women express their concerns about menstruation during the pandemic.
The researchers have said that it is only in recent times that these concerns have been addressed by the biomedical research community.
