High stress of menstrual cycles affected by the pandemic, according to researchers

The Washington Post: Has Pandemic Stress Changed Women’s Periods?

During the pandemic, many women experienced high levels of stress as they took on a disproportionate share of childcare and housework and dropped out of the workforce in large numbers. Now, a new study suggests that all this added stress may have changed women’s menstrual cycles in a number of ways. Some women who reported high levels of stress also reported early or late periods. Others had heavier menstrual flow or more spotting between cycles. Some women said that during the stress of the pandemic, their periods lasted longer than usual, while others said their periods became shorter. (Morris, 7/11)

Express UK: New study shows pandemic stress linked to longer, heavier and more frequent periods

Research conducted by the University of Pittsburgh in the US found that more than half of the participants in one study reported changes in their periods. The four changes were: menstrual cycle length, period length, menstrual flow, [and] Major spotted. (Callingham, 10/31)

In other research on pandemics:

The New York Times: Covid patients coming off ventilators may take weeks to regain consciousness

The brains of unconscious Covid patients bear a striking resemblance to those of turtles that spend the winter encased in ice, argued Dr. Nicholas Schiff, a neurologist at Weill Cornell Medicine, and his collaborator, Dr. Emery Brown, a computational neuroscientist. from MIT. the tortoises survive by putting their neurons into a state of unusual calm that lasts for months. Dr. Schiff and Dr. Brown believe that the combination of covid-19 and sedatives elicits a similar response in people. (Zimmer, 11/7)

CNN: Eating disorders in young people skyrocketed during pandemic, study shows

Along with the many impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on pediatric care, researchers have seen a marked increase in young adults seeking treatment for eating disorders. (Holcombe, 7/11)

Roll call: Potential end to emergency Spurs debate on Medicaid

The potential end of the COVID-19 public health emergency has reinvigorated the debate about the merits and costs of expanding Medicaid. A provision of a 2020 COVID-19 relief bill required states to keep people continuously enrolled in Medicaid through the end of the month in which the COVID-19 public health emergency ends in exchange for more federal funding. . (Dad, 7/11)

More on the spread of covid:

The Wall Street Journal: A US research station in Antarctica is halting travel after the Covid-19 outbreak

The National Science Foundation canceled trips to McMurdo Station in Antarctica after almost 10% of the population tested positive for Covid-19. All travel to the US Antarctic outpost will stop for the next two weeks due to the outbreak, the National Science Foundation said over the weekend. The travel suspension does not apply to essential travel for health and safety reasons, the foundation said. (From Avila, 7/11)

San Francisco Chronicle: COVID in California: Positive test rate rises again in SF

The seven-day coronavirus test positivity rate in San Francisco has slowly started to rise after falling steadily since July. It was 5.1% as of October 31, the most recent date for reliable data, after falling as low as 4.5% the previous week. (Failure and Vaziri, 7/11)

Stat: Could NASCAR Vaccine Sites Persuade People to Get a Covid Vaccine?

Under the bright lights of Phoenix Raceway, as 100,000 people gathered to watch NASCAR drivers race to this year’s championship, a small battalion of nurses and trainees took on an even more daunting challenge: convincing attendees to vaccinated against covid-19. (Owermohle, 7/11)