Observational studyBMC women's health2024
The impact of COVID-19 on menstrual cycle's alterations, in relation to depression and sleep disturbances: a prospective observational study in a population of medical students.
Observational study in BMC women's health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Instruments used to measure well-being, ill-being, and health-related lifestyle behaviors in students attending Italian universities: a systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Susceptibility to Infection and Impact of COVID-19 Vaccines on Symptoms of Women with Endometriosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Available Evidence.Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) · 2024Pooled it
- Robust Bayesian Model Averaging Meta-Analysis of Menstrual Disorders in COVID-19 Survivors: A Methodological Meta-Analysis Study.Health science reports · 2025Article
- Nightmares Fluctuate Across the Menstrual Cycle and May be More Pronounced in Women With Premenstrual Syndrome.Brain and behavior · 2025Article
- Distress and coping among youth during COVID-19: a national cross sectional study in France.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Prevalence of self-reported premenstrual psychological symptoms during the COVID-19 quarantine: an exploratory cross-sectional study.Health psychology report · 2025Article
- The evaluation of depressive, anxiety symptoms and sleep disturbance in college students post- pandemic era across UAE: a multicentric survey.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
- Correlation research on physical activity and executive function in female college students with subclinical depression.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
- Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among students aged 12 to 24 after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in China: prevalence and associated factors.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe sars-Cov-2 pandemic has determined psychological stress, particularly in the young population of medical students. We studied the impact of the pandemic on menstrual cycle alteration in relation to psychological stress, presence of depression, sleep disturbances and post-traumatic stress, on a population of medical students.
methods293 female students at the Faculty of Medicine and Psychology of the Sapienza University of Rome (23.08 years old ± 3.8) were enrolled. In March 2021, one year after quarantine, a personal data sheet on menstrual cycle, examining the quality of the menstrual cycle during the pandemic, compared to the previous period. Concomitantly, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Impact of Event Scale have been administered. A Pearson chi-square test was assessed to evaluate the difference between the characteristics of the menstrual cycle and the scores obtained with the questionnaires.
resultsA statistically significant association between menstrual alterations and stress during pandemic had been found. The onset of depressive symptoms and sleep disturbances was observed in 57.1% and in 58.1% of young women with cycle's alterations, respectively. Amenorrhea was three times more common in female students with depressive symptoms, premenstrual syndrome had a significant correlation with both depression and sleep disturbances. The pandemic has been related to menstrual alterations, with depressive symptoms and sleep disorders. Amenorrhea is connected to depression, as observed on the functional hypothalamic amenorrhea.
conclusionsThe pandemic affected the menstrual cycle as well as the depressive symptoms and sleep. Practical implications of the study lead to the development of strategies for psychological intervention during the pandemic experience, in order to help medical trainees, with specific attention to women's needs. Future studies should analyze the impact of other types of social stress events, on sleep, depression and the menstrual cycle beside the pandemic.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.