Evaluation of menstrual cycle changes among women in shahrekord during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background and Aim. COVID-19, a global pandemic, has impacted the world and caused various health issues. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of COVID-19 on menstrual cycle changes. Materials and methods. In this cross-sectional study, 314 women aged 18 to 45 who resided in Shahrekord City, Iran, from 2022 to 2023 were enrolled. A researcher-designed questionnaire including demographic information, vaccination history, COVID-19 infection history, and menstrual cycle characteristics was designed, and data was gathered through social media. After data collection, the data were entered into SPSS version 22 and analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistical methods. Results. Among patients, 62.7% of participants reported no change in menstrual bleeding volume after contracting COVID-19. In comparison, only 23% of individuals reported an increase or decrease in their bleeding volume after the infection. Regarding the number of menstrual days, 71.3% of participants had no change in the duration of their period after contracting COVID-19. There was also a significant difference between the amount of menstrual bleeding (p=0.005), the number of menstrual days (p=0.006), spotting (p=0.013), interval between menstrual cycles (p=0.0001), menstrual pain (p=0.001), and premenstrual symptoms (p=0.0001). Conclusion. The findings of the present study show that COVID-19 severity is significantly relationship with alteration in the menstrual cycle.