The Effect of Covid-19 infection on menstrual and sexual health among females in childbearing period.

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this research was to determine how COVID-19 infection affects the sexual health and menstrual cycle of reproductive-aged women. Patients and Methods: Beginning in May 2022, 384 female patients from the Obstetrics and Gynecology department&#039;s outpatient clinic at Beni Suef University were included in this cross-sectional study. The study lasted for six months. Results: In the present study, a total of 148 sexually active women, or 40.7% of the sample, exhibited sexual dysfunction, as determined by the FSFI total score cut off (<26), which differentiates between women with and without sexual dysfunction. There was no statistically significant correlation between menstrual cycle variations and the various risk factors (P-value>0.05) among the 66 instances (or 18.13%) that were included in the analysis. A positive linear association was found between the overall score on the FSFI and the time since COVID-19 infection, which was statistically significant (r=0.506, p<0.001). Conclusion: The current data indicates that women with a history of COVID-19 are at a high risk of sexual dysfunction. For women who have had a history of COVID-19, the symptoms of sexual dysfunction, including decreased arousal, orgasm, and satisfaction, are far more severe. Alterations to menstrual cycle might be a symptom of COVID-19-related psychological distress, an overactive immune system, or both. These alterations in menstruation status are similarly temporary and go away a few months after a COVID-19 infection