MENSTRUAL PATTERN CHANGES AMONG WOMEN DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN IBADAN, A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY.

Introduction: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious respiratory disease characterised by a spectrum of symptoms ranging from asymptomatic to severe. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns were associated with varying degrees of stress among individuals. The hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis, which regulates the menstrual cycle, may be significantly affected by stress. Objective: To investigate the effect of COVID-19 infection and pandemic lockdown on the menstrual pattern of women. Methods: A cross-sectional study of women exposed to COVID-19 was conducted using a questionnaire to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics, COVID-19 exposure, and menstrual patterns. Participants were categorised based on their COVID-19 test results. Analyses were conducted using STATA (StataCorp L.L.C.) version 15.0 and at a significance level of p < 0.05. Results: Among the 218 respondents, only 93 (42.7%) had testing for COVID- 19. Among those who tested, only 36 (16.5% of all participants) tested positive for COVID-19 infection. Majority of respondents (80.7%) had regular menses before pandemic lockdown. About 1 in 5 (21.4%) respondents reported changes in menstrual pattern. The odds of experiencing changes in menstrual pattern was not significantly higher among women who tested positive for SARS-CoV2 (aOR = 1.71, 95% CI: 0.47 - 6.23). Extremes of reproductive age was associated with menstrual irregularities before the pandemic and changes in menstrual pattern during the lockdown. Conclusion: Irregularities in menstrual pattern remains common especially in the early and late reproductive years. Changes in menstrual pattern was common among respondents during the pandemic lockdown. Infection with SARS-CoV2 virus was not associated changes in menstrual pattern during the pandemic.