Endocrinologists at the University of British Columbia in Canada found that the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic caused two-thirds of women to have problems with ovulation. on this they said At the annual conference of the Society of Endocrinologists dedicated to reproductive health.
The scientists compared data from two similar studies, one conducted in 2006-2008 and the second during a pandemic. Participants in both studies were women aged 19-35 who were not taking hormonal contraceptives. All participants reported on aspects of their health in addition to keeping a daily menstrual diary and recording life events. In addition, the researchers used hormone levels to determine the participants’ ovulation.
In the first study, 10% of women had ovulation disorders. In the second – in two out of three women. The egg was either not released at all or the luteal phase, the interval between ovulation and the onset of menstruation, was reduced. An analysis of the diaries showed that women in the second study were significantly more likely to suffer from anxiety, depressive symptoms, frustration, sleep problems and headaches.
“By comparing these two studies, and especially the diary entries, we can conclude that the life changes caused by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic caused ovulation disturbances, mostly within the framework of regular menstrual cycles,” the study’s authors wrote.