Covid-19 & Periods: All The Essential Info

Brut India

Delayed periods? PCOS stress? What about cramp relief medicines? This doctor answers all your queries about how Covid-19 may or may not affect your periods.

Transcript

00:00I got down today.

00:02The pain is a little too much.

00:04Let's just talk about our periods.

00:06Hello doctor, can I take pain relief medicines while I am on COVID medication?

00:11It really depends on the severity of COVID that you are suffering from

00:15and whether you are admitted at the hospital or you are under home isolation.

00:20If you are under home isolation taking just the basic medication,

00:23you can definitely take cramped relief medications.

00:26However, if you are admitted in the hospital, you are on steroids and blood thinners,

00:31it is advisable to not self-medicate.

00:34Inform your doctors that you are having cramps and they will give you pain relief medication

00:38which does not react or interact with your current treatment.

00:42Do people who suffer from PCOD or endometriosis need to take any special care

00:47or do they need to be aware of any kind of adverse effect of COVID medication?

00:52A few studies have shown that women suffering from PCOS are at a slightly increased risk

00:58of getting infected with COVID.

01:00So you need to take all your precautions of social distancing,

01:04wearing a mask and taking the vaccine when it is provided to you.

01:08And apart from that, the medications and the diet changes per se do not

01:13greatly affect PCOS or endometriosis as such.

01:17Can COVID infection delay my periods?

01:20Your menstrual cycle can be sensitive to any sort of infections or inflammation.

01:25So yes, a COVID infection can cause an inflammatory reaction

01:29and can cause a slightly irregular or a delayed period.

01:32Will COVID-19 increase or decrease the flow of my periods?

01:36And also, will there be any clots during discharge at that time?

01:41Yes, a COVID infection can affect the flow of your periods

01:45and it may cause your endometrium to grow slightly thicker

01:49depending on a hormonal imbalance caused by the inflammation

01:53which in turn can cause you to have a slightly heavier bleeding

01:57and passage of clots as well.

01:59I heard that women on periods have a better immunity. Is it true?

02:04A few studies have shown that there is a spike in the amount of antibodies

02:08being produced in your body in general during your periods

02:12which means that your immunity is slightly better during your periods.

02:16My blood flow was about 40-50% of what it usually is during my regular periods.

02:21So could it be because of COVID in general or my COVID medicines

02:26or could there be any other reason?

02:28It's very common to have a lighter menstrual flow post any sort of fever or any infection.

02:34This is because the hormone fluctuation can depend and can be sensitive

02:39to any changes in your routine, in your sleep cycle, stress levels,

02:43any added medications or the infection itself.

02:46But it is nothing to worry about. It will probably recover by the next cycle.

02:51Can coronavirus also affect the ovulation cycle and interfere with birth control?

02:55There have not been any studies to show that the COVID infection interferes with birth control.

03:01So I would suggest it is nothing to worry about.

03:04As for ovulation, it really depends.

03:07If you have a very sensitive hormonal fluctuation because of the added stress and the infection

03:14it is possible that you could not ovulate in that cycle.

03:17But it is not a generalized fact and it will differ from person to person.

03:22Through my COVID, because I had hypoxia, I was administered steroids.

03:29As somebody with PCOS, I would like to understand what is the impact of both the hypoxia

03:35and the steroids on organs that are vulnerable because of PCOS, like my kidneys.

03:43Also, what is its impact on insulin resistance, which is also a function of PCOS.

03:50In cases of PCOS suffering from COVID, if you have been given steroid administration

03:57it is nothing to worry about. It is not going to affect your insulin resistance

04:01or have a major effect on your organs.

04:04At this point of time, recovering from COVID should be the priority over your PCOS symptoms

04:10and that is what the steroids will help you do.

04:12Can we really distinguish whether the impact is from COVID or other things pandemic related

04:17like stress, change in sleeping patterns, exercising more or exercising less?

04:23There is no way to really know whether the changes in our routine that have been caused

04:28by the pandemic and the lockdown or the COVID infection itself is what is going to cause

04:33any changes in our menstrual cycle.

04:36However, at this point, our best bet is to stick by our social distancing rules,

04:41wear a mask and get vaccinated as soon as it is available to us.

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