It is not just India but nations around the globe have been experiencing a surge in the number of covid cases which has been accompanied by the spread of mutated omicron variants. Countries around the world have been logging a record number of cases that have not been observed till date since the virus outbreak and emergence of pandemic. With the rising number of cases around the globe, are you someone who got infected with the virus and is now experiencing early or late, extra long or extra short and sometimes very heavy or suspiciously light periods? If your answer to this simple question is a yes then we might tell you that you are not alone. With the rapidly increasing number of covid-19 cases, another thing that has been observed is a temporary change in women’s menstrual cycle. Where it is completely normal to have slight changes in the menstrual pattern from month to month but in case of covid the stress and illness can throw things out of whack. After recovering from covid, one might notice some or the other kind of change in their periods. According to experts these changes last up till 3 months of recovery and tend to resolve on their own. Let us take a look at the changes in menstruation pattern caused due to covid and for how long these changes might affect someone with Dr. Tanya, MBBS, MSc (Oxon), FRSPH aka Dr. Cuterus.
Impact of Covid on Menstruation Cycle
Since the emergence of the pandemic, the world has been under a constant mental stress and people around the globe have been looking for ways to save themselves and their loved ones from the deadly covid virus. Due to a sudden shift, there has been a change in people’s lifestyle habits and most of us have been forced to change parts of our old routines. The pandemic stress has taken over the toll of menstrual cycle and period health for many women around the world. Where the entire world is dealing with pandemic stress, there are a large number of people who have dealt with the deadly infectious virus itself and have observed noticeable changes in their body. These changes in some women have also been observed in the form of their menstrual cycle.
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Some studies conducted by researchers have shown that the menstrual patterns of people with a confirmed covid infection have been changed to a certain extent. Where the researchers are still not very sure how the virus exactly brings on these menstrual changes to the table. Some researchers also believe that the fluctuating levels of hormones such as estrogen might be responsible for influencing the immune cells of the body that lead to worsening the symptoms of this disease and impact the menstrual cycle.
How to know if Covid is influencing your cycle
By now we have learnt the different ways in which the deadly covid-19 virus can impact our menstrual cycle and some of the changes that it can bring to the regular cycle. Let us take a step ahead and take a quick look at some of the factors that might indicate that your periods and menstrual cycle has been affected by covid-
- Variation in the flow- The period flow might be very heavy or exceptionally light
- Altered length- Very short or long cycle length
- Irregular periods
- Missed periods
Where a woman might observe these changes in her menstrual cycle, it is important to note that there is no significant difference in the levels of sex hormones in the body. The temporary changes in menstruation volume might be experienced that tend to go away on its own after 1 or 2 months of having covid.
Does Pandemic Stress have an effect on Periods?
If you are someone who has been observing changes in their menstrual cycle since the emergence of pandemic and have not been affected by the virus, then it can be due to pandemic stress. Where the deadly virus has shifted our world entirely and people have started living under a constant state of fear and stress, it surely has some impact on the menstruation cycle. Stress and irregular periods are the two things that have been associated with each other for a very long time. Stress tends to have a negative impact on our health and periods for that matter is no exception. Stress plays a major role in controlling the pituitary gland that is the body’s master gland and controls hormonal secretion.
Image Credits- Prevention.com
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When you're under stress, your body tends to secrete cortisol hormone, high levels of this cortisol hormone for a long period of time can result in increasing the length of the periods, makes your periods irregular and might disrupt the frequency of the periods as well.
There are various factors that might have an affect on a woman’s menstrual cycle and tends to disrupt her periods. Dr. Cterus suggests that After recovering from covid one might feel that their cycles have become relatively heavier, lighter, late or earlier for a short period. These changes can be observed upto three months of recovering from covid and tend to get resolved on its own. It is not just the virus that tends to disrupt your flow and menstrual cycle but the pandemic stress has a huge part to play in it as well.
(This article is based upon a post by Dr. Tanya, MBBS, MSc (Oxon), FRSPH aka Dr. Cuterus)