STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded one-year supplemental grants totaling $1.67 million to five institutions to explore potential links between the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination and menstrual changes.
The studies come after some women reported experiencing irregular, missing or heavier menstrual periods after the vaccine.
The new NIH grants support research to determine whether such changes may be linked to COVID-19 vaccination itself and how long the changes last. Researchers also will seek to clarify the mechanisms underlying potential vaccine-related menstrual changes.
“These rigorous scientific studies will improve our understanding of the potential effects of COVID-19 vaccines on menstruation, giving people who menstruate more information about what to expect after vaccination and potentially reducing vaccine hesitancy,” said Dr. Diana W. Bianchi, director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), which funded the grants along with the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health.
WHAT CAN CAUSE MENSTRUAL CYCLE CHANGES?
Numerous factors can cause temporary changes in the menstrual cycle, which is regulated by complex interactions between the body’s tissues, cells and hormones, according to the NIH.
Immune responses to a COVID-19 vaccine could affect the interplay between immune cells and signals in the uterus, leading to temporary changes in the menstrual cycle, said the NIH. Other factors that may cause menstrual changes include pandemic-related stress, lifestyle changes related to the pandemic, and infection with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), the agency said.
The new studies will build on existing research to leverage data from menstrual tracking applications to evaluate the potential impacts of COVID-19 vaccination on menstrual health. The research will also track this based on geographical locations and within racially and ethnically diverse populations. And one project will focus specifically on adolescents.
“Researchers will assess the prevalence and severity of post-vaccination changes to menstrual characteristics including flow, cycle length, pain and other symptoms,” said the NIH on its website. “These analyses will account for other factors that can affect menstruation — such as stress, medications and exercise — to determine whether the changes are attributable to vaccination. Several projects also seek to unravel the mechanisms underlying the potential effects of COVID-19 vaccines on the menstrual cycle by examining immune and hormonal characteristics in blood, tissue and saliva samples taken before and after COVID-19 vaccination.”
The following institutions will conduct the research:
- Boston University; Principal investigator: Lauren A. Wise, Sc.D.
- Harvard Medical School, Belmont, Massachusetts; Principal investigator: Laura Allen Payne, Ph.D.
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore; Principal investigator: Mostafa Borahay, Ph.D.
- Michigan State University, East Lansing; Principal investigator: Stacey Ann Missmer, Sc.D.
- Oregon Health and Science University, Portland; Principal investigator: Alison B. Edelman, M.D.
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