The stress of lockdown was the main reason that altered women's menstrual cycles. This is the conclusion of the first study specifically conducted to analyze what caused many women to experience changes in their menstruation during the COVID pandemic.
In the study led by two gynecologists from the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau in Barcelona, they ruled out that the changes were directly caused by the coronavirus and attributed them to the stay-at-home lockdown, which lasted from March to May 2020.
The research has not been able to conclude how many women were affected in their menstrual cycle
In the study, advanced by El Periódico and accessed by La Vanguardia, 4,500 patients participated, making it the largest sample of menstruating women published to date. The changes that many women experienced included delays, absence, or constant bleeding.
All of this, according to the study, had a direct impact on the emotional state of many of these women and also resulted, in most cases, in a decrease in sexual desire. However, the research has not been able to determine how many women experienced these alterations.
In order to conduct the study, an online survey was administered to menstruating women from Spain, aged 15 to 55, who had not contracted Covid-19. The form collected data on activities during the confinement, sexual activity, perceptions of emotional state, any changes in menstrual cycle characteristics, and the impact on quality of life. The analysis of menstrual changes was limited to respondents who were not using hormonal contraceptives. (Note: I noticed that the word “menstruantes” in Spanish refers to menstruating women. I translated this as “menstruating women” in English for clarity.)
92.3% of women had at least one menstrual period during the lockdown, while 7.7% experienced amenorrhea
A total of 6,449 women responded to the survey, and 4,989 surveys were valid for the final analysis. 92.3% of the women had at least one menstruation during the lockdown, while 7.7% had amenorrhea (absence of menstrual flow). The quality of life associated with menstruation worsened in 19% of women, did not change in 71.7%, and improved in 1.6%. In 50.1% of women, overall quality of life worsened during the lockdown; 41.3% remained practically the same, while 8.7% reported an improvement.
Sexual activity during the lockdown decreased in 49.8% of the surveyed women, remained unchanged in 40.7%, and increased in 9.5%. Regarding menstrual changes, there were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of amenorrhea, menstrual cycle regularity, or the amount or duration of menstrual bleeding in users of non-hormonal contraceptives when evaluated based on the duration and characteristics of isolation, the perception of exposure to Covid-19, and the economic or employment situation.
On the contrary, the study revealed statistically significant differences based on the intensity of changes in emotional state due to the stressful factors of confinement and changes in the regularity, duration, and heaviness of menstruation.
The conclusion of the study thus indicates that changes in emotional state, rather than the duration and intensity of isolation or exposure to the disease, significantly influenced menstrual disorders during the pandemic lockdown.
A study confirmed in 2022 that the COVID vaccine was affecting the menstrual cycle
A woman receives the third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at the WiZink Center on January 20, 2022, in Madrid
On the other hand, a study by the University of Granada confirmed two years ago that the coronavirus vaccine altered the menstrual cycle. The research concluded that nearly eight out of ten women noticed changes in their period after receiving the jab. More than 23,000 women who had completed the full vaccination schedule participated in the study.