How A COVID-19 Infection May Affect Your Period - HuffPost

All participants tested positive for COVID at some point between the beginning of the pandemic and now; the study is still ongoing.

“Approximately 16% of menstruating participants who had COVID-19 reported changes to their menstrual cycle following infection,” Farland told HuffPost.

In the University of Arizona study, “individuals who reported changes to their menstrual cycle following COVID-19 were more likely to experience a greater number of COVID-19 symptoms,” Farland said.

But, there is room for error: Study participants self-reported the severity of their COVID symptoms and their menstruation changes.

“With COVID infection, there are multiple stressors to the body including the physical and emotional stress of both pandemic changes as well as COVID infection,” she said.

Farland added that study participants who reported period changes also did report higher stress levels.

But, she emphasized that her study did not focus on stress’ relationship to menstruation changes during a COVID infection.

“A consequence of this work is the importance of including gynecologic and menstrual health into the discussion of long COVID symptoms,” she said.