The impact of SARS-COV-2 infection on menstruation, 2023, Zhong et al.

The impact of SARS-COV-2 infection on menstruation
Zhong, Xiaozhu; Lu, Keji; Liang, Weiying; Jihu, Luozi; Zeng, Anqi; Ding, Miao; Chen, Dongmei; Xie, Meiqing

Recent study has demonstrated that the GnRH system in patients with post-COVID syndrome may be influenced by SARS-CoV-2. However, the impact of COVID-19 infection on women’s menstruation is still unknown.

We aimed to investigate the the relationship between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and menstruation in premenopausal women. This was a retrospective cohort study. Pre-menopausal women were invited to participate in the online questionnaire on wechat. Participants were divided into four groups according to whether they were infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV-2) and whether they had menstrual changes during the pandemic. Sociodemographic characteristics, history of COVID-19, menstruation and menstrual changes of the participants were collected. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS, version 25.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).

A total of 1946 women were included in the study. 1800 participants had been or were currently infected with SARS-COV-2, and 146 people had not been infected. Among 1800 patients with COVID-19, 666 (37.0%) had changes in menstruation, and 1134 (63.0%) did not, which was significantly higher than the uninfected participants (c2 = 12.161, P = 0.000). The proportion of participants with menstrual cycle changes (450/67.6%) is larger than that of uninfected participants (c2 = 6.904, P = 0.009). COVID-19 vaccination was associated with lower odds of menstrual cycle change (OR, 0.855; 95% CI, 0.750–0.976). Participants who reported chest pain (OR, 1.750, 95% CI, 1.209–2.533) and dyspnea (OR, 1.446; 95% CI, 1.052–1.988) during infection had greater odds of changes to their menstrual cycle compared with the participants who did not.

The association between the COVID-19 and increased prevalence of menstrual cycle irregularity [is described]. COVID-19 vaccination is a protective factor in the long term, and participants with chest pain and dyspnea are more likely to develop AUB.

Link | PDF (BMC Women's Health)

 

Yeah, retrospective self-report, with self-selected recruitment. Number of people who had not been infected is relatively small, and so they might be different to the people who were infected - some sociodemographic difference that changes the incidence of menstrual changes.

Same problem - could be some socio-demographic differences.

Not ideal.

 

No.