A groundbreaking study involving 12,000 participants in the UK has uncovered a startling link between long COVID—those lingering symptoms that persist long after the virus has left the body—and significant disruptions in menstrual cycles.

But it gets even more alarming: the research suggests a terrifying feedback loop, where long COVID affects menstruation, and troubling menstrual symptoms can, in turn, worsen long COVID symptoms.

According to the researchers, participants suffering from long COVID reported increased menstrual flow, prolonged periods (lasting over eight days), unexpected bleeding between cycles, and even missed periods compared to those who had not contracted COVID.

Interestingly, individuals with a history of acute COVID did see an uptick in menstrual volume, but it fell short of statistical significance—indicating the unique severity of long COVID's effects.

Many individuals have voiced their concerns over notable menstrual changes since the onset of the pandemic, yet research has largely been haphazard, often focusing solely on vaccination impacts. A 2023 paper notably found no significant differences in menstrual changes among those vaccinated versus unvaccinated.

In a detailed follow-up study, Dr. Jacqueline Maybin from the University of Edinburgh led a survey contrasting people with long COVID (1,048 respondents), those who experienced acute COVID-19 (1,716), and a control group untouched by the virus (9,423 participants). Their findings were eye-opening: the long COVID group experienced the most drastic changes, including longer periods and abnormal intermenstrual bleeding.

More disturbingly, patients with long COVID reported heightened symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, and memory lapses starting two days prior to their menstrual cycle and worsening throughout its duration.

To dig deeper into these findings, researchers gathered blood serum and endometrial tissue samples from ten long COVID patients and compared them with samples from healthy individuals. What they discovered was alarming: signs of endometrial inflammation and hormonal disturbances appeared to link long COVID with menstrual irregularities, although ovarian function remained unaffected.

This crucial evidence paves the way for further research and highlights the urgent need for more specialized treatments addressing menstrual health and long COVID in those who menstruate. The researchers concluded that the abnormal uterine bleeding may stem from increased androgens and a modified inflammatory response in the endometrium during menstruation. Moreover, they noted a correlation between the severity of long COVID symptoms and the late secretory phase of the menstrual cycle, suggesting that elevated cytokine production during this time could have significant implications.