According to new research, women who experienced high stress related to the pandemic were twice more likely to experience changes in their menstrual cycle compared to those with low pandemic-related stress. 

The study by the University of Pittsburgh, published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, said that overall, more than half of the participants reported changes in menstrual cycle length, period duration, menstrual flow or increased spotting, irregularities that could have economic and health consequences for women.

"Early in the pandemic, it would come up anecdotally in conversations with girlfriends and other women that 'things have been kind of wacky with my period since the pandemic,'" said lead author Martina Anto-Ocrah, assistant professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the Pitt School of Medicine. "Stress can manifest in women's bodies as changes in menstrual function, and we know that the pandemic has been an incredibly stressful time for many people," she added.