As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) continues for a long time, a study has found that the number of women suffering from ovulation problems has increased. Mental health deterioration such as stress, depression, and anxiety caused by the prolonged COVID-19 outbreak was cited as the cause.
A research team led by Professor Jerrylin Pryor at the University of British Columbia in Canada published a study at the American Endocrinology Society held in Georgia, USA on the 12th (local time), showing that the number of women suffering from ovulation problems has increased due to a decrease in female hormones during the COVID-19 epidemic. did. It is the first time that ovulation disorders have been observed while the menstrual cycle is maintained during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The research team compared the results of an ovulation study conducted on 112 women during the COVID-19 period with a survey of 301 women from 2006 to 2008. All the women surveyed consisted of women of childbearing age between the ages of 19 and 35 who did not take birth control pills.
In a study conducted during the COVID-19 outbreak, the research team recorded the ovulation characteristics and the level of progesterone, the female hormone, respectively, through the participants’ body temperature and saliva. Progesterone is a hormone that thickens the lining of the uterus immediately after ovulation, allowing successful implantation and maintaining pregnancy. In a study conducted from 2006 to 2008, progesterone levels were measured in the urine of participants. Participants in both studies kept a journal of their daily life and menstrual cycle.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly two-thirds of participants did not ovulate normally. These participants suffered from ovulatory problems, such as a short luteal phase, during which progesterone was produced during the menstrual cycle, or anovulation, in which eggs were not released from the ovaries. In comparison, only 10% of participants in the 2006-2008 study had ovulatory problems.
As a result of analyzing the life and menstrual cycle diaries of participants in both studies, anxiety, depression, stress, sleep disturbance, and headaches of participants significantly increased during the COVID-19 outbreak. “Life changes during the COVID-19 pandemic caused ‘quiet’ ovulation disorders within regular menstrual cycles,” the research team explained.
“Stress-induced ovulation disorders may be linked to menstrual irregularities after vaccination with COVID-19,” said Fryer.