Pollack, Beth, von Saltza, Emelia, McCorkell, Lisa et al. · Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2023 · DOI
This review examined how Long COVID and related illnesses like ME/CFS affect women's reproductive health, including menstrual cycles, fertility, and pregnancy. The researchers found that women with these conditions experience more problems with their periods, difficulty getting pregnant, and symptom flare-ups around their menstrual cycle. The study highlights that we need much more research to understand these reproductive health issues and to help doctors better support women with these conditions.
ME/CFS patients, particularly women, often report menstrual irregularities and worsening symptoms during their cycle, yet reproductive health remains understudied in this population. This review consolidates evidence and identifies critical research gaps, advocating for reproductive health screening and sex-hormone research as essential components of ME/CFS care and investigation.
This literature review does not establish causation between these conditions and reproductive problems—it documents associations and prevalence rates. The findings regarding Long COVID's reproductive effects are limited by sparse primary research; most conclusions are inferred from related illnesses and require direct study in Long COVID populations. The review does not quantify the biological mechanisms underlying these reproductive disruptions.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Pollack, Beth, von Saltza, Emelia, McCorkell, Lisa, Santos, Lucia, Hultman, Ashley, Cohen, Alison K, et al. (2023). Female reproductive health impacts of Long COVID and associated illnesses including ME/CFS, POTS, and connective tissue disorders: a literature review.. Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences. https://doi.org/10.3389/fresc.2023.1122673
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-pollack-2023-female-reproductive,
author = {Pollack, Beth and von Saltza, Emelia and McCorkell, Lisa and Santos, Lucia and Hultman, Ashley and Cohen, Alison K and Soares, Letícia},
title = {Female reproductive health impacts of Long COVID and associated illnesses including ME/CFS, POTS, and connective tissue disorders: a literature review.},
journal = {Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences},
year = {2023},
doi = {10.3389/fresc.2023.1122673},
note = {PubMed: 37234076},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/pollack-2023-female-reproductive},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/pollack-2023-female-reproductive
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