A scoping review of long COVID and menopause

Gabrielle Humphreys; Ethan Berry; Lawrence D. Hayes; Sam Jensen; Roisin Moodley; Nilihan E. M. Sanal-Hayes

doi:10.3390/covid6010007

A scoping review of long COVID and menopause

Gabrielle Humphreys
, Ethan Berry
, Lawrence D. Hayes
, Sam Jensen
, Roisin Moodley
, Nilihan E. M. Sanal-Hayes^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

Background:
According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), long COVID refers to symptoms persisting for four weeks or more after acute infection, with over 100 identified, including fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, and breathlessness. Women aged 45–54 are disproportionately affected, overlapping with the typical age for perimenopause and menopause. This scoping review aimed to provide an overview of existing research on the intersection between long COVID and the menopausal transition.

Methods:
Five database (CINAHL ultimate, MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, Cochrane, and Scopus) searches yielded 387 articles; after removing 40 duplicates and screening 347 titles and abstracts, fourteen studies were reviewed in full, with seven meeting the inclusion criteria (examined both long COVID and menopause in their scope and are written in English language).

Results:
This scoping review identified a significant symptomatic overlap between long COVID and menopause reported by participants, particularly fatigue, cognitive difficulties, mood changes, and sleep disturbances. Preliminary evidence also suggests that hormonal fluctuations may influence symptom severity, though biological mechanisms remain insufficiently understood. Methodological limitations restrict generalisability, underscoring the need for longitudinal symptom tracking, diverse samples, and biomarker-informed studies. Recognising the intersection of long COVID and menopausal transition is essential for improving assessment, management, and targeted care for affected women.

Original language	English
Article number	7
Number of pages	10
Journal	COVID
Volume	6
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/covid6010007
Publication status	Published - 24 Dec 2025

Keywords

long COVID
menopause
intersection
perimenopause
menopausal transition
post COVID-19 syndrome

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10.3390/covid6010007Licence: CC BY 4.0

2025 12 22 Humphreys et al COVID finalFinal published version, 444 KBLicence: CC BY 4.0

Cite this

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title = "A scoping review of long COVID and menopause",

abstract = "Background: According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), long COVID refers to symptoms persisting for four weeks or more after acute infection, with over 100 identified, including fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, and breathlessness. Women aged 45–54 are disproportionately affected, overlapping with the typical age for perimenopause and menopause. This scoping review aimed to provide an overview of existing research on the intersection between long COVID and the menopausal transition. Methods: Five database (CINAHL ultimate, MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, Cochrane, and Scopus) searches yielded 387 articles; after removing 40 duplicates and screening 347 titles and abstracts, fourteen studies were reviewed in full, with seven meeting the inclusion criteria (examined both long COVID and menopause in their scope and are written in English language). Results: This scoping review identified a significant symptomatic overlap between long COVID and menopause reported by participants, particularly fatigue, cognitive difficulties, mood changes, and sleep disturbances. Preliminary evidence also suggests that hormonal fluctuations may influence symptom severity, though biological mechanisms remain insufficiently understood. Methodological limitations restrict generalisability, underscoring the need for longitudinal symptom tracking, diverse samples, and biomarker-informed studies. Recognising the intersection of long COVID and menopausal transition is essential for improving assessment, management, and targeted care for affected women.",

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author = "Gabrielle Humphreys and Ethan Berry and Hayes, \{Lawrence D.\} and Sam Jensen and Roisin Moodley and Sanal-Hayes, \{Nilihan E. M.\}",

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AU - Humphreys, Gabrielle

AU - Berry, Ethan

AU - Hayes, Lawrence D.

AU - Jensen, Sam

AU - Moodley, Roisin

AU - Sanal-Hayes, Nilihan E. M.

PY - 2025/12/24

Y1 - 2025/12/24

N2 - Background: According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), long COVID refers to symptoms persisting for four weeks or more after acute infection, with over 100 identified, including fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, and breathlessness. Women aged 45–54 are disproportionately affected, overlapping with the typical age for perimenopause and menopause. This scoping review aimed to provide an overview of existing research on the intersection between long COVID and the menopausal transition. Methods: Five database (CINAHL ultimate, MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, Cochrane, and Scopus) searches yielded 387 articles; after removing 40 duplicates and screening 347 titles and abstracts, fourteen studies were reviewed in full, with seven meeting the inclusion criteria (examined both long COVID and menopause in their scope and are written in English language). Results: This scoping review identified a significant symptomatic overlap between long COVID and menopause reported by participants, particularly fatigue, cognitive difficulties, mood changes, and sleep disturbances. Preliminary evidence also suggests that hormonal fluctuations may influence symptom severity, though biological mechanisms remain insufficiently understood. Methodological limitations restrict generalisability, underscoring the need for longitudinal symptom tracking, diverse samples, and biomarker-informed studies. Recognising the intersection of long COVID and menopausal transition is essential for improving assessment, management, and targeted care for affected women.

AB - Background: According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), long COVID refers to symptoms persisting for four weeks or more after acute infection, with over 100 identified, including fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, and breathlessness. Women aged 45–54 are disproportionately affected, overlapping with the typical age for perimenopause and menopause. This scoping review aimed to provide an overview of existing research on the intersection between long COVID and the menopausal transition. Methods: Five database (CINAHL ultimate, MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, Cochrane, and Scopus) searches yielded 387 articles; after removing 40 duplicates and screening 347 titles and abstracts, fourteen studies were reviewed in full, with seven meeting the inclusion criteria (examined both long COVID and menopause in their scope and are written in English language). Results: This scoping review identified a significant symptomatic overlap between long COVID and menopause reported by participants, particularly fatigue, cognitive difficulties, mood changes, and sleep disturbances. Preliminary evidence also suggests that hormonal fluctuations may influence symptom severity, though biological mechanisms remain insufficiently understood. Methodological limitations restrict generalisability, underscoring the need for longitudinal symptom tracking, diverse samples, and biomarker-informed studies. Recognising the intersection of long COVID and menopausal transition is essential for improving assessment, management, and targeted care for affected women.

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A scoping review of long COVID and menopause

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