Issa Rita, Kharaba Zelal Jaber, Azzi Vanessa, Obeid Sahar, Sawma Toni, Said Amira S A, Ahmad Mohammad M Al, Alfoteih Yassen, Malaeb Diana, Hallit Souheil
School of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, P.O. Box 446, Jounieh, Lebanon.
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, AAU Health and Biomedical Research Center, Al Ain University, 112612, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Honorary Associate lecturer, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon tyne, United Kingdom.
Pharm Pract (Granada). 2022 Jul-Sep;20(3):2699. doi: 10.18549/PharmPract.2022.3.2699. Epub 2022 Aug 12.
Pandemic diseases and the confinement measures due to COVID-19 infection have introduced acute and persistent psychosocial stressors for different individuals with a greater influence on females manifested through changes in the menstrual cycle. The objective of this study was to assess Lebanese female of reproductive age about their menstrual cycle, their mental health, and their lifestyle, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Beirut blast, and the economic crises.
A cross-sectional online study conducted between October and December 2021, enrolled 398 Lebanese women using the snowball technique. The Menstrual Symptom Questionnaire (MSQ) was used to assess menstrual symptoms. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to assess factors associated with the variation in MSQ scores after vs before the pandemic.
Our results showed that a significantly higher number of days of menses, number of pads per day and total MSQ score were significantly found after the pandemic compared to before it. More distress (Beta=0.68), more post-traumatic stress disorder due to COVID-19 (Beta=0.19), a higher number of waterpipes smoked per week (Beta=1.20) and being infected by COVID-19 compared to not (Beta=3.98) were significantly associated with an increase in the MSQ score after the pandemic compared to before it.
Our main findings indicate that females had irregular menstrual cycles, unpredictable bleeding pattern, and intense symptoms severity post COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, stress post COVID-19 and Beirut blast tended to be associated with increased menstrual symptoms. Thus, vulnerable women should be identified and offered appropriate care, information, and awareness regarding their menstrual period during a pandemic.
大流行疾病以及因新冠病毒感染而采取的隔离措施给不同个体带来了急性和持续性的心理社会压力源，对女性的影响更大，表现为月经周期的变化。本研究的目的是评估黎巴嫩育龄女性在新冠疫情、贝鲁特爆炸和经济危机期间的月经周期、心理健康和生活方式。
2021年10月至12月进行了一项横断面在线研究，采用滚雪球技术招募了398名黎巴嫩女性。使用月经症状问卷（MSQ）评估月经症状。采用重复测量方差分析来评估疫情后与疫情前MSQ评分变化相关的因素。
我们的结果显示，与疫情前相比，疫情后月经天数、每天使用卫生巾数量和MSQ总分显著增加。更多的困扰（β=0.68）、更多因新冠病毒导致的创伤后应激障碍（β=0.19）、每周吸食水烟的数量更多（β=1.20）以及感染新冠病毒（β=3.98）与疫情后MSQ评分相比疫情前增加显著相关。
我们的主要研究结果表明，新冠疫情后女性月经周期不规律、出血模式不可预测且症状严重程度加剧。此外，新冠疫情和贝鲁特爆炸后的压力往往与月经症状增加有关。因此，应识别脆弱女性，并在大流行期间为她们提供有关月经的适当护理、信息和认识。
