Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown has resulted in increased stress levels amongst the general population. High stress has a positive correlation with increased menstrual abnormalities.Aim: To evaluate and establish a correlation between the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and menstrual irregularities in the young female healthcare student population of Bengaluru district, Karnataka, India, aged between 18 and 25 years.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted by circulating online questionnaires to 295 female healthcare students. The questionnaire consisted of sections on sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle and menstrual history along with the perceived stress scale (PSS). The menstrual pattern was then correlated with the PSS using standard statistical tests.Observation and Results: Out of the 295 subjects, the participants with high PSS score (27–40) were evaluated for menstrual irregularities such as change in frequency, duration, pain levels and skipped periods during lockdown. Of the 11.3% of the women who reported high stress levels 42.42% had irregular periods, 51.51% had change in frequency, 42.42% had change in duration and 42.42% reported worsening of pain due to periods. The PSS score was significantly higher in the women with menstrual irregularities (p value <0.05%). Conclusion: The current study established an association between the increased psychosocial stress during the COVID-19 pandemic and increased prevalence of menstrual irregularities and dysmenorrhea among female healthcare students. Hence, women must be educated and psychological counseling must also be recommended in future pandemics.