Female reproductive health impacts of Long COVID and associated illnesses including ME/CFS, POTS, and connective tissue disorders: a literature review.
Beth Pollack, Emelia von Saltza, Lisa McCorkell and 4 others
PMID 37234076WHAT IT FOUND
People with long COVID often report menstrual irregularities and symptom flares before or during periods.
Related conditions such as ME/CFS, POTS, and EDS show similar reproductive health problems, but evidence is mostly surveys and case reports.
Key findings
01Premenopausal women with long COVID may commonly have worsening symptoms linked to the menstrual cycle, and one study found over one-third of menstruating patients reported exacerbation before or during periods.
02Only case reports exist for premature ovarian insufficiency after COVID-19, so there are no estimates of how often it occurs.
03Rehabilitation care for long COVID should include screening for reproductive symptoms and overlapping illnesses such as ME/CFS, POTS, and connective tissue disorders.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The review has no original data and no systematic methods described in the supplied text. Much of the cited evidence is cross-sectional, survey-based, or case reports, and many studies lack healthy or relevant control groups. Patients in some case reports were not screened for associated illnesses, so causes cannot be separated. Few studies examine long COVID in pregnancy, so pregnancy effects are not established. Most reviewed populations were white and in high-income countries, so results may not apply to other groups. The review reports associations and patient symptoms, not treatment effects.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this review as proof that long COVID causes reproductive disorders or that any treatment works. The evidence is mostly associations from surveys, case reports, and studies without healthy controls.