Tayyaba Rehan Syeda, Imran Laiba, Mansoor Hussain, Sayyeda Qudsia, Hussain Hassan Ul, Cheema Mustafa Sajjad, Tahir Muhammad Junaid, Asghar Muhammad Sohaib, Mahmmoud Fadelallah Eljack Mohammed, Islam Md Saiful
Department of Medicine Dow University of Health Sciences Karachi Pakistan.
Department of Medicine Red Crescent of Tampa Bay Tampa Florida USA.
Health Sci Rep. 2022 Oct 8;5(6):e881. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.881. eCollection 2022 Nov.
The menstrual cycle in women is the main indicator of their reproductive health which is affected by the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This review aims to summarize the effects of the COVID-19 infection and the global pandemic on the menstrual health of women.
The literature search was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane library, and Google Scholar using keywords "COVID-19," "Menstrual Cycle," "Menstrual Cycle Irregularities," "Amenorrhea," "Polymenorrhea," and "Dysmenorrhea." The articles were selected according to the following inclusion criteria: (i) cross-sectional studies, (ii) cohort studies, (iii) surveys, and (iv) other observational studies observing the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 pandemic on menstrual health of women. Exclusion criteria included: case reports, gray literature, and website articles regarding menstrual health.
A total of 30,510 articles were shortlisted after a comprehensive search. Sixteen articles were included out of which 13 studies investigated the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the menstrual cycle while 3 evaluated the possible effects of COVID-19 infection on the menstrual health of women. Menstrual disorders or irregularities were a more common finding during the pandemic as compared to before ( = 0.008). Women affected by pandemic-related stress were more prone to changes in the duration of their menses ( = 0.0008), reported heavier bleeding ( = 0.028), and increased incidence of painful periods ( < 0.0001). COVID-19 infected women also reported changes in their menstrual cycle including irregular menstruation, increased symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, and infrequent menstruation.
Women suffering from COVID-19 infection or pandemic-associated stress and anxiety were more likely to experience irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, and other menstrual abnormalities compared to those who were less exposed.
女性的月经周期是其生殖健康的主要指标，而这正受到当前2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行的影响。本综述旨在总结COVID-19感染及全球大流行对女性月经健康的影响。
在PubMed、Cochrane图书馆和谷歌学术中进行文献检索，使用关键词“COVID-19”“月经周期”“月经周期不规律”“闭经”“月经频发”和“痛经”。根据以下纳入标准选择文章：（i）横断面研究，（ii）队列研究，（iii）调查，以及（iv）其他观察性研究，观察严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2型（SARS-CoV-2）感染或COVID-19大流行对女性月经健康的影响。排除标准包括：病例报告、灰色文献以及关于月经健康的网站文章。
全面检索后共筛选出30510篇文章。纳入了16篇文章，其中13项研究调查了COVID-19大流行对月经周期的影响，3项评估了COVID-19感染对女性月经健康的可能影响。与大流行前相比，月经紊乱或不规律在大流行期间更为常见（=0.008）。受大流行相关压力影响的女性更容易出现经期时长变化（=0.0008），报告经量增多（=0.028），且痛经发生率增加（<0.0001）。感染COVID-19的女性也报告了月经周期的变化，包括月经不规律、经前综合征症状加重以及月经稀发。
与接触较少的女性相比，感染COVID-19或遭受与大流行相关的压力和焦虑的女性更有可能出现月经不规律、痛经、闭经及其他月经异常情况。
