With expanding eligibility, millions of people receive the COVID vaccine every day, which is wonderful news. But getting the vaccine has no side effects: sore arms, fatigue, and temporary flu-like symptoms are common side effects that you will be warned about or will be able to talk about. But one of the side effects that you may not be aware of and that is being discussed right now is that the COVID vaccine seems to have an effect on menstrual cycles.
Speaking to Today, medical student Katherine Lee discussed how, in conversations with other menstruating people who received the vaccine, many reported that it had affected their cycle. But that evidence was only anecdotal, so after contacting one of his university professors, Kathryn Clancy, head of the Clancy Laboratory at the University of Illinois, they decided to gather more data. Clancy also experienced an abnormal period after her first shot of the vaccine, so she decided to make a call for more information on social media to get a larger sample size.
Our survey was approved and conducted through production. SET OF VACCINATED MENSTRUATORS: https://t.co/YY1eolCnWi
(This is a project to explore if covid cows affect periods; if you have had a previous period and have a cough, take 15 minutes to tell us about your experiences.)
– Dr. Kate Clancy 🏳️🌈 (@KateClancy) April 7, 2021
The investigation is ongoing, but Clancy and Lee hope any information they receive will help them and the medical community better understand what kind of impacts the vaccine may have in the periods. But only in this article are reports of abnormally heavy periods, symptoms of more intense periods, and delayed periods.
“A lot of people had noticed something but hadn’t heard of anything (menstrual changes) as a side effect,” Lee Today says. “So many things could affect people’s menstrual experiences. So we just thought that if this is a side effect of … this type of vaccine, it would be good for people to be prepared. ”Some other studies show only a percentage of people who menstruate with abnormal changes or periods, and not was observed as a side effect in clinical trials, but experts said today that COVID interacts with estrogen in some way that we may not understand and that can influence periods, as can other stressors in our systems.
On the one hand, it is comforting to know that other people experience period irregularities due to the vaccine. Last week I received the first dose and was expected to start the period the next day and just didn’t. Knowing that I’m not the only one who has experienced it is a relief.
But it is also frustrating that this was not discussed or understood as a side effect and that it was not even considered how this vaccine affected the cycles of people who were menstruating. For vaccine developers, I feel that the bodies of people who have menstruation or potential effects are extreme values that need not be taken into account. This same lack of consideration for the health of menstruating people relates to our discussion yesterday about how the Johnson and Johnson vaccine was stopped due to possible blood clot problems when people who use it were asked. Birth control live with a much higher likelihood of blood clots for decades.
The takeaway here is that you should still get a vaccine as soon as you can to help end this pandemic, but if you are menstruating, keep in mind that you may be affected and if so, fill out the survey because people who take the time to study it have as much information as possible.
(via today, image: JOSEPH PREZIOSO / AFP via Getty Images)
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