Is COVID Vaccine Disrupting Menstrual Cycles?

Bhubaneswar: Sore arm, light fever, fatigue and even nausea are some of the common side effects of COVID vaccines, but some women have reported changes in their periods and heavier bleeding immediately after being inoculated, a study has now revealed

According to a recent report published in the peer-reviewed British Medical Journal (BMJ), there might be a possible link between changes to menstrual cycles and COVID vaccines. The matter needs further investigation, it added.

The author of the editorial, Dr Victoria Male from Imperial College London, attributed the painful and delayed menstrual cycles to the body’s immune response at the time of vaccination.

“Menstrual changes have been reported after both mRNA and adenovirus vectored COVID vaccines, suggesting that if there is a connection, it is likely to be a result of the immune response to vaccination rather than a specific vaccine component,” she wrote.

Over 30,000 vaccinated women have reported experiencing period problems, including changes to their menstrual cycle, she said, adding that periods can be heavier or delayed because of an immune response, but poses no danger to one’s body.

Also Read: COVID-19 Vaccine: Infertility & Other Myths Busted By Health Minister

She further added that there is no evidence that COVID vaccination adversely affects fertility. “Vaccine hesitancy among young women is largely driven by false claims that COVID vaccines could harm their chances of future pregnancy,” she said.

If a link between vaccination and menstrual changes is confirmed, this will allow individuals seeking vaccination to plan for potentially altered cycles, she explained.

Doctors should encourage their patients to report any changes to periods or unexpected vaginal bleeding after vaccination to the MHRA’s scheme, she added.

In the US, researchers Kate Clancy and Katharine Lee have collected more than 140,000 reports of changes in the period post-vaccination.

Some experts, however, are still not very sure about a connection between the coronavirus vaccines and changes in the menstrual cycle.

The MHRA also denied the claims and had issued a statement saying that it does not support a link between the vaccine and changes in the menstrual cycle.