Do COVID-19 Vaccines Affect Periods? An expert calls for an investigation

At the start of the pandemic, the best way to avoid contracting and spreading the virus was to wear masks and practice social distancing. Doctors still recommend these same practices in addition to getting one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines.

Moderna, AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech and Jonson and Johnson’s Janssen vaccines are currently available in the UK

Moderna, Pfizer and Janssen vaccines are also available in the United States

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), some of the common side effects of vaccines include:

• pain at the vaccination site
• tired
• tired
• fever

To date, none of the COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers have listed menstrual health issues as a side effect.

However, Dr Male says more than 30,000 people have reported changes in their menstrual cycle after MHRA vaccination. She explains that most people who report experiencing changes in their menstrual cycle say things usually return to normal in the next cycle. It is important to note that there is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccination adversely affects fertility.

The author says research is needed to determine a definitive link between the two and what triggers this response in some people.

“If there is a link, it is likely that it is the result of the immune response to the vaccination rather than a specific component of the vaccine,” writes Dr Male.

Stress can disrupt the menstrual cycle and cause cycles to vary or even stop completely. The immune response created by vaccines can cause this type of stress reaction.

According to Dr Male, the lack of research on the effects of COVID-19 vaccines on menstruation is due to the relatively low frequency of these reports.

Even though changes in the menstrual cycle rarely occur, it is still important to fully explore the possible effects that COVID-19 vaccines can have.

“Young women’s reluctance to vaccines is largely driven by false claims that COVID-19 vaccines could harm their chances of future pregnancy,” writes Dr. Male. “Failure to thoroughly investigate reports of menstrual changes after vaccination is likely to fuel these fears.”

Dr. Katharine Lee, postdoctoral researcher in the Division of Public Health Sciences at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, stressed the importance of starting this research.

“I am happy to see this article published as it is an important area of ​​research,” said Dr Lee. Medical News Today.

“The variation in menstrual cycles is surprisingly under-studied, even though we know they are expected to respond to many types of stressors, including immune and inflammatory responses. Dr Male brings up a number of positive points and I am particularly pleased that she points out the safety of vaccines, ”said Dr Lee.

MNT also spoke with Dr Sarah Gray, a general practitioner based in Cornwall, England. Dr Gray is an expert in women’s health and ran a women’s health clinic for the National Health Service (NHS) for 15 years.

Dr Gray said: “Controlling menstrual bleeding is complex with potential effects from the brain, ovaries and the uterus itself. It is plausible that the effects of either [SARS-CoV-2] infection or vaccination on the immune system could affect this pathway, and any research would be greatly appreciated. ”

“Women’s health has not been a research priority for the past 20 years and there is a lot that we don’t know,” she added.

MNT also interviewed Dr Kathryn Clancy, who is “happy to see this post and agrees with Dr Male’s view that these changes are real and worth exploring further”.

Dr Clancy is an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Champaign, Illinois. She says she is involved in similar research.

“Our work proposes similar biological mechanisms for this relationship between acute immune activation and menstrual repair mechanisms,” said Dr. Clancy. She added:

“I am appalled that the research design of vaccine trials makes it impossible at this time to actually explore this relationship, and I hope that drug and vaccine manufacturers in the future will take these considerations into account.”