Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
High Stress Of Pandemic Affected Menstrual Cycles, Researchers Find
The Washington Post: Did Pandemic Stress Change Women’s Periods?
During the pandemic, many women experienced high levels of stress as they took on a disproportionate share of child care and housework and dropped out of the labor force in large numbers. Now, a new study suggests that all of this extra stress may have changed women’s menstrual cycles in a variety of ways. Some women who reported high levels of stress also reported early or delayed periods. Others had heavier menstrual flow or increased spotting between cycles. Some women said that during pandemic stress, their periods lasted more days than usual, while others said their periods got shorter. (Morris, 11/7)
Express UK: New Study Shows Pandemic Stress Linked To Longer, Heavier And More Frequent Periods
Research by the University of Pittsburgh in the US, found that more than half of the participants in a study reported changes in their periods. The four changes were: Menstrual cycle length, period duration, menstrual flow, [and] Increased spotting. (Callingham, 10/31)
In other pandemic research —
The New York Times: Covid Patients Coming Off Ventilators Can 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 at M.I.T. The turtles survive by putting their neurons into an unusual quiet state that lasts for months. Dr. Schiff and Dr. Brown believe that the combination of Covid and sedatives prompts a similar response in people. (Zimmer, 11/7)
CNN: Eating Disorders In Young People Skyrocketed During Pandemic, Study Shows
Alongside the many impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on pediatric care, researchers have seen a stark increase in young adults seeking treatment for disordered eating behaviors. (Holcombe, 11/7)
Roll Call: Possible End Of Emergency Spurs Debate On Medicaid
The potential end of the COVID-19 public health emergency has reinvigorated debate over the merits and costs of expanding Medicaid. A provision of a 2020 COVID-19 relief bill required that states 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. (Papp, 11/7)
More on the spread of covid —
The Wall Street Journal: A U.S. Research Station In Antarctica Is Stopping Travel After Covid-19 Outbreak
The National Science Foundation is shutting down travel to McMurdo Station in Antarctica after nearly 10% of the population tested positive for Covid-19. All travel to the U.S. outpost on Antarctica will be paused for the next two weeks due to the outbreak, the National Science Foundation said over the weekend. The halt on travel doesn’t apply to essential travel for health and safety reasons, the foundation said. (De Avila, 11/7)
San Francisco Chronicle: COVID In California: Positive-Test Rate Creeps Back Up In S.F.
The seven-day rolling coronavirus test positivity rate in San Francisco has started to creep back up after falling steadily since July. It was 5.1% as of Oct. 31, the most recent date with reliable data, after dropping as low as 4.5% the previous week. (Fracassa and Vaziri, 11/7)
Stat: Could NASCAR Vaccine Sites Persuade People To Get Covid Shots?
Under the bright lights of the Phoenix Raceway, as 100,000 people gathered to watch NASCAR drivers hurtle toward this year’s championship, a small battalion of nurses and trainees took on an even more daunting challenge: convincing attendees to get vaccinated against Covid-19. (Owermohle, 11/7)
