Does COVID-19 Vaccination Affect the Period Cycle?

Changes in menstrual cycle after COVID-19 vaccination need to be explored as a possible adverse reaction to improve the success of vaccination programme.

Researchers think that there is a reasonable link between menstrual changes after COVID-19 vaccination that need to be investigated, according to a report published in the journal BMJ.

Some women say their periods change after getting a COVID-19 vaccination but changes to periods or unexpected vaginal bleeding are not listed as common side effects of covid-19 vaccination.

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‘Menstrual cycle changes may occur as a result of the immune response to COVID-19 vaccination.’

More than 30,000 reports had been made to the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) surveillance scheme for adverse drug reactions regarding menstrual changes.

However, most people find that their period returns to normal the following cycle and there is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccination adversely affects fertility.

The MHRA states that its surveillance data does not support a link between changes to menstrual periods and covid-19 vaccines, since the number of reports is low in relation to both the number of people vaccinated and the prevalence of menstrual disorders generally.

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Various approaches that compare rates of menstrual changes in vaccinated versus unvaccinated population points out that the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has made $1.67 million people available for this important research.

Reports of menstrual changes after C0VID-19 vaccination suggest that there is a connection between these two factors as a result of the immune response to vaccination, rather than a specific vaccine component.

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The menstrual cycle may also be affected by the body’s immune response to the virus itself, with one study showing menstrual disruption in around a quarter of women infected with SARS-CoV2.

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

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

Anyone reporting a change in periods persisting over a number of cycles, or new vaginal bleeding after the menopause, should be managed according to the usual clinical guidelines for these conditions.

Source-Medindia