Women hospitalized with COVID-19 suffer from menstrual changes, worse mental health

COVID-19 appears to alter the menstrual cycle and impair mental health in women hospitalized for the disease, a recent study has found.

The study included 158 women (mean age 33.8 years) in a COVID-19 isolation ward, who were given a survey to evaluate their menstrual patterns. The Self-Reporting Questionnaire-29 was used to assess their mental health.

Before infection, majority (79.5 percent; n=125) of the patients said that their cycle length ranged from 24–32 days. After contracting COVID-19, however, there was an increase in the number of women who said their cycle lengths were >32 or <24 days. Similarly, the proportion of women with menstrual irregularities doubled after COVID-19 infection (17.7 percent to 35.4 percent; p<0.001).

In addition, 10 participants (6.3 percent) developed heavy menstrual bleeding after COVID-19, a significant increase from before infection (p=0.041). Overall, 37.3 percent of respondents said that their menstrual cycles changed after COVID-19.

In terms of mental health, 52.5 percent of participants manifested at least one psychological disorder, including 32.3 percent with neurotic symptoms, 12.7 percent with psychotic symptoms, and 38.0 percent with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Of note, menstrual irregularities tended to be more common among those who screened positive for mental health disorders. These women were also more than twice as likely to report changes in menstrual cycle after COVID-19 infection (odds ratio, 2.17, 95 percent confidence interval, 1.12–4.22; p=0.021).