The Covid-19 pandemic has had an incredibly negative effect on many people’s physical and mental health but have you noticed a difference in when Aunt Flo pops in for her monthly visit? Several gynaecologists have confirmed that many of their patients are reporting skipped periods or have noticed an increase or decrease in cycle length, blood volume and menstrual-related pain. This got us wondering if it had something to do with the Covid-19 pandemic (because, let’s be honest, mercury retrograde can’t be blamed for everything, right?)

Dr Najlaa Kadhum, a Specialist Gynaecologist at Medcare Hospital Al Safa says, ‘being stressed isn’t just a mental experience. Your body reacts to stress in different ways and one of these reactions could be having your menstrual cycle become longer, shorter or your periods might actually even stop altogether. While this isn’t something to be overly alarmed about, I would recommend that you seek out someone to talk through your stresses with, whether that be a close friend or family member, or even a medical professional, if needed.’

The stress of everyday life can take its toll on your cycle too. One study of stress in female nurses found associations between high stress and anovulation, (when ovulation does not take place) and also high stress and longer cycles while women working in high stress, but low control jobs, where the person has little control over their work tasks and other key decisions have been associated with shorter cycles.

So, linking that back to the Covid-19 pandemic. Has the pandemic caused you unusual mental stress? (Um, am I even human?) Have you increased your home workout programme or added new vitamins or supplements to your regime? (Yup, even your quest to look like JLo once this is all over could whack up your usual cycle).

If you answered, ‘Yes’ to any of the above and have seen a change in your flow then the Covid-19 pandemic has totally affected your period. So, what can you do about it? Dr Najlaa suggests starting off by taking small steps back to normality.

‘Try and maintain a degree of normality where you can, and be kind to yourself about the things that you can’t control. Try and stick to a regular sleep schedule where you get up and go to bed at around the same time and sticking to a mealtime schedule can be helpful too, as a way to keep your body clock in check.’

She adds, ‘As life goes back to normal, your cycle should slowly return to normal too. And, don’t forget that you are definitely not alone in this. This really is ‘a thing.’