FROM fatigue to pain and breathlessness, thousands have been left crippled by lingering symptoms long after fighting off coronavirus.
But now a new symptom of so-called long Covid has emerged – and it’s only affecting women.
There have been wide reports on social media that the prolonged illness has caused “alarming” changes to women’s menstrual cycles.
Some say they are now experiencing irregular periods, while others have distressingly noticed unusually large blood clots.
One woman, named Rose, said she noticed two weeks into her Covid battle that her period didn’t come as she would have expected.
She told Medical News Today that in the eight months since she’s recovered from the virus, she’s only had five periods.
Another woman, named Bianca, said she only started to experience changes to her menstrual cycle some time after recovering from Covid.
She said: “I didn’t notice anything different during the initial onslaught of Covid.
“It wasn’t until 3 months later […] when some symptoms came back that I noticed a change. I noticed an increase in clots — but quite a bit.”
Edith, who says she has also had period changes since being infected with Covid, told MNT: “[My periods] have changed in frequency, duration, flow, intensity, and pain level. I also experience Covid symptom flare-ups before my period starts, which is rather confusing because my periods are unpredictable.”
POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS
Experts have recognised breathlessness, muscle aches and excessive fatigue as being among the wide-ranging symptoms that have been identified in those who have previously contracted the virus.
However, it remains unclear why menstrual cycles might be affected by Covid long after recovering from the bug.
Some suggest that it could be that SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes Covid – could attack the female reproductive organs.
Dr Linda Fan, assistant professor of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale School of Medicine, told MNT the research published on the virus so far is sparse.
However, she suggests there is some “biological plausibility” that it could “attack ovarian function” based on some of the effect it’s had on other organs.
One small study in China, published in Reproductive BioMedicine Online in September, found 25 per cent of people with Covid have menstrual changes.
Of the 117 participants, all patients at Tongji Hospital in Shanghai, 30 per cent reported lighter bleeding or longer-lasting periods.
Dr Fan said that while the data so far is limited, there is nothing to indicate changes in fertility.
She also reassured women that while a delayed period or two can be disconcerting, it “should not cause too much anxiety in the setting of Covid-19 infection”.
But she did urge anyone who has experienced changes to their menstrual cycle and is concerned to speak to their GP.
LONG SUFFERING
It’s thought that up to 60,000 people in the UK are suffering with long-term symptoms after contracting Covid, according to data from the ZOE app, which was analysed by King’s College London researchers.
Co-leading scientist for the post-hospitalisation Covid-19 study Dr Rachel Evans said many people had been put out of work because they are unable to carry out their usual daily tasks, due to the lingering after-effects.
Experts from the National Institute for Health Research warn long Covid is not one single condition, but could actually be four different syndromes.
In October, a group of doctors affected by long Covid called for an action plan in tackling the long-term health effects of the virus.
A letter signed by 39 doctors said there was an “emerging picture” that long-term symptoms of the virus were having a substantial impact on a significant minority of people.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has acknowledged that long Covid exists and said that work “is being done on it”.
With thousands of people thought to have long Covid, it’s unsurprising that support groups have started to emerge on social media.
One known as the Post Covid Syndrome Group now has 3,000 members from more than 60 countries.
Group founder Claire Hastie told the Mirror: “People are experiencing so many symptoms – we’ve counted 172.
“GPs aren’t believing them, they say they’re making it up.
“Employers have no idea what these people are going through either.”
