Menstrual Cramps in Anovulatory versus Normally Ovulatory Cycles - SARS-COV-2 Pandemic Daily Data Plus a Meta-Analysis of Cramps and Anovulation.

Purpose: It is asserted that primary dysmenorrhea/menstrual cramps only occur in ovulatory menstrual cycles. Our first objective was to present detailed menstrual cramps information in normally ovulatory versus anovulatory cycles from a single-cycle cohort study during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic. Secondly, we reviewed the literature for cohort studies documenting both menstrual cramps and ovulation. Participants and Methods: The Menstruation and Ovulation Study 2 recruited 108 women ages 19-35 years to a prospective, observational single-cycle study, recording cramps daily (0-4 scale) in the Menstrual Cycle Diary© and assessing normal ovulation (luteal length ≥10 days) by the validated Quantitative Basal Temperature© (Mean Temperature Method). We searched databases for « primary dysmenorrhea » / » menstrual cramps »; « menstrual cycles »; « anovulation », finding four valid publications. Results: In 75 women/cycles during the Pandemic, mean age was 28.5, body mass index 23.5, and higher education (16 years); 40 normally ovulatory and 35 anovulatory cycles had similar lengths (29.5-30.0 days), respectively ( Conclusion: This is the first documentation of more intense and frequent cramps in anovulatory cycles. However, meta-analysis showing the presence of symptomatic cramps in both ovulatory and anovulatory cycles documented they were twice as prevalent in ovulatory menstrual cycles.