The impact of “long COVID” on menstruation in Chinese female college students and the intervention of acupuncture

作者：Juwei Dong, Jinxia Ni, Ziniu Zhang, Haoyue Yan, Jingni Xu, Jingjing Zhao · 发表于：Medicine · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1097/md.0000000000036818 · 被引用次数：8 · 研究领域：Long-Term Effects of COVID-19、Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments、Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research

This study aimed to explore the potential application value of acupuncture in alleviating the impact of long COVID on women's menstrual cycles, by investigating the occurrence of long COVID among female college students, its effects on menstruation, and the intervention of acupuncture. This cross-sectional study surveyed female college students with a history of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) before April 10, 2023. A questionnaire was used to analyze demographic characteristics, post-COVID sequelaes, duration of symptoms, and treatments received during that period. Among the 731 participants enrolled in the survey, 468 were female undergraduate students who met the analysis criteria. Among them, 85 individuals fit the definition of "Long COVID" (18.16%). Within the group of patients with long COVID, 69 individuals experienced changes in their overall menstrual patterns compared to the 6 months prior to contracting the novel coronavirus (81.18%). Additionally, 17 individuals opted for acupuncture treatment following the onset of COVID-19 (20.00%), which resulted in less impact on their menstrual cycle (41.18% vs 64.71% without receiving acupuncture, OR = 2.62), menstrual period duration (41.18% vs 64.71%, OR = 2.62), menstrual flow (47.06% vs 69.18%, OR = 2.52), and the color of menstrual blood (41.18% vs 63.24%, OR = 2.46) among these patients. Long COVID had a certain impact on menstruation. Acupuncture potentially alleviates the clinical symptoms of long COVID and redu...