A sore arm, fever or flu-like symptoms are all listed as fairly normal side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines. Clinicians have explained that moderate reactions after your jab aren’t anything to be too worried about. However, scientists are calling for an investigation into the impact that the COVID-19 vaccines may have on menstrual changes.
Victoria Male is a leading immunologist specializing in fertility from Imperial College London. In a piece published in the BMJ, she said that more research needs to focus on how the COVID-19 vaccines may impact patient’s menstrual cycles, if at all. This call to action comes after “more than 30,000 people report menstrual problems of some form, including irregular periods, missed monthly bleeds and unexpected vaginal bleeding post-vaccination.”
Changes in menstruation weren’t listed as a side effect of the vaccines. However, hundreds of thousands of people reached out to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to report differences. Most changes were short-term.
Rather than investigating these changes in order to scare patients, doctors are highlighting how crucial it is to arm patients with as much information as they need before and after they're vaccinated so they know what to expect and when to worry.
“Vaccine hesitancy among young women is largely driven by false claims that COVID-19 vaccines could harm their fertility, and failing to thoroughly investigate reports of menstrual changes after vaccination is likely to fuel these fears,” Male said, “If a link between vaccination and menstrual changes is confirmed, this information will allow people to plan for potentially altered menstrual cycle phases.”
After looking at the reports of menstrual changes the MHRA said it "does not support a link" between the vaccines and any changes. They said that changes and differences in the menstrual cycle can be caused by a number of things.
However, other medical professionals have highlighted the need to share as much research with the public about vaccine side effects and to dispel misinformation surrounding side effects. Dr. Jackie Maybin, a gynecologist at the University of Edinburgh outlined that while research doesn’t directly indicate that the COVID-19 vaccines may change your menstrual cycle in some way, it’s important to monitor any changes in your period right now.
"In times of stress, the female system is designed to temporarily downregulate to prevent against pregnancy and conserve energy,” she said, “This brain-level effect may explain some of the changes in menstruation observed during the pandemic, with COVID-19 or with vaccination.”
Similarly, Dr. Jo Mountfield, vice president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said in a statement that changes in periods have been short-term and that it’s no indicator that the vaccines could impact a patient’s long-term fertility. "There is no evidence to suggest that these temporary changes will have any impact on a person's future fertility or their ability to have children," she said.
While the MHRA has said that they don’t think there’s a link between the COVID-19 vaccines and period changes, scientists have stressed that they believe that more research needs to be done.
And in Marie Clare Male outlined that if you’ve yet to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and are fearful of changes to your cycle then there is one thing that they know definitely impacts your menstrual cycle, COVID-19.
“In one study, 25% of the participants reported a change to their period shortly after COVID-19 infection. I have also seen data from some of the long COVID-19 studies (not published yet) suggesting that long COVID-19 may be associated with longer-lasting changes to periods,” said Male, “This is one of the reasons it’s not worth declining the vaccine if you are worried it will change your period – COVID-19 infection can do that, and worse.”
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