Fake claims about periods and the vaccine - BBC

Imagine if thousands of men were experiencing post vaccine flop or post vaccine unwanted and prolonged erections’

Pretty sure that would be taken notice of

Sorry essays!

The other thing is

Why if actual covid seems to cause changes to periods, ED etc. Why is that fact not being included in the news etc?! Especially in pieces about period disruption. Very very strange.

Ah just googled.

Getting actual covid has lots of reports of impact on menstrual cycle. Then there's 'long covid' etc.

So my guess (and this is a total guess!) that covid itself has an impact. There's also stuff about erectile dysfunction after contracting covid.

As the vaccine is a trivial amount just to get your body to learn how to tackle it. Then if what I'm guessing is correct then any changes will be much less from the vaccine than the actual illness.

Plus you are protected, less likely to transmit to others, meaning the virus has less chance to mutate (viruses are good at that), the death rate here as we all see on the news has plummeted. Etc etc.

Due to vaccines!)

Pressed go too soon!

Parking-

Vaccines have an established history and have saved untold numbers of lives around the world.

The science is pretty easy to understand. Expose a human to a small amount of the infection- sometimes inert even (dead). The body goes aha an invader better go fight it. And bodies are so clever they learn and remember. So once they've learnt what it looks like and how to attack it. If you come into contact with the real thing your body says. Yep no probs know what that is. Here's the way to kill it bish bash bosh.

Vaccines protect us against some awful illnesses.

I have not seen my periods impacted as best I can tell (perimenopausal).

The only thing I can guess at is that covid itself has an impact. Because the actual science behind vaccines is proven, and incredibly low risk.

I have no idea why it's a focus for so many different groups who seek to undermine confidence. Well I got a bit of a clue the other day. But it's still odd.

Is it because it's protective so people can't understand the value so well, especially in countries where polio etc are not prevalent any more (due to

Just had a look for the original BBC story saying essentially women are imagining it. Can't find it. That's odd they usually link previous stories.

Anyway it's all irritating.

On the one hand when you go to doc they often ask when was last period. I never tracked them so was always at a loss. They always seemed disapproving that I didn't. As if it were odd.

Also questions- are they regular, any changes, could you be pregnant etc etc

Whatever posters views of tracking or not it seems to be expected that we will note this biological function and changes and spotting and is it late etc etc.

So this happens and all the women who are taking note say hold on this has disrupted my periods. Initial reaction in media with reassurance from docs. Women are probably hyper aware of looking for side effects of vaccine. Irregularity is normal. Over reaction. No reason to affect periods. All anecdotal.

Now it's hmm there may be an impact but probably it's temporary and nothing to worry about (although we don't actually know what's going on yet).

Periods are a complex and involved biological process. Amazing really. Womb gets ready to grow a fertilised egg. Egg gets released to coincide. If fertilised commence baby growth. If not. Discard the preparation for egg and start again.

Something that disrupts periods could be temporary and all fine. Or not.

They don't know. The knee jerk is to reassure the ladies so they don't get silly ideas in their heads.

If thousands of men were saying that their dicks were misbehaving would the reaction be the same?

I had a recurrence of pst menopausal spotting two days after my first jab. I had a procedure last November to remove polyps and to take a sample of womb lining. It was clear. No bleeding or anything since.

Unfortunately, due to the recent spotting I'm having to undergo the whole procedure again next week - under general anaesthetic. It is no small thing.

Thanks @AgnesNaismith that is reassuring. I think I'm still quite a way off for the moment as in mid 20s.

After the second Pfizer vaccine, the menopausal hot flushes that had finally dwindled down to about 3 a day after years of about 40 of the sodding things every day, suddenly increased again dramatically. I was discussing it with a friend who said her friend had had the same thing and was going to tell her what I’d said. They must have an effect on hormones to do that and mess with the menstruated cycle. I know the scientists on the ZOE app are looking into it.

I'll be honest, it does worry me that the vaccine seems to affect periods so much. Surely that's something quite major going on with hormones that should be investigated? I'll want children in the next few years and I do worry. I won't go on the pill or anything as just don't see it's a good idea to mess about with a body that works. Would never have thought I'd say this about vaccinations... can someone sciencey and sensible please put my mind at rest!

It pretty much did.

No they used women to mean women in the old meaning as they pretty much always do when it's front page stuff.

What about transmen who get periods? Did it say they would be over reacting and silly too? I doubt it. The angle would have been much, much different. Genuine suffering, and one more thing in their oppressed lives to have to deal with.

I'm strongly of the opinion that womens healthcare both academically and in practice is awful and women's health concerns are virtually always treated as lesser importance to that of men. I know women (myself included) who have had to take their husbands or brothers into doctors clinics with them before their own health concerns or their intuition about their childs health would be taken seriously. So it doesn't surprise me that impact on womens fertility cycles are not only dismissed and treated in a patronising manner by the media (the very same way headlines about women giving birth in their later years are) but also not even considered in the development of this vaccine.

I definitely found my period after the AZ vaccine was heavier, more painful and lasted longer than usual.

I'm sure I read on the BBC a few weeks back a very patronising piece about the vaccine and periods which boiled down to periods can vary and women are over reacting and being silly and there's no problem stop worrying.

I read a BBC thing the other day saying it may affect periods...

Same old same old. Women are hypochondriac, hysterical etc. Then some time later... Oh there may be something going on...

Hmph.

I assume most of the women who have reported these concerning side effects (that no one warned us about as though sudden heavy vaginal bleeding has no ramifications) are mostly 30+ and of course women 30+ have all "hit a wall" and are expendables so no doubt the only people who will care about this will be us.

BBC is saying Period changes could be a harmless side effect.

Does that mean they also could be a serious side effect?

A timely read for feminists:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4800017/

It seems to me that it might have a different effect depending on what phase of your cycle you are in when you have it.

The story quotes FWR hero Jen Gunter who makes her usual good points.

It's not just "early, heavy or painful periods" it's late or missed periods too. I am now on CD 37, ten days late. Pregnancy test negative a couple of days ago. I'm normally regular as clockwork.

The “fake claims” referred to are that the vaccine causes period changes and miscarriage, even amongst women who haven’t had it but are mixing with people who have.

They aren't fake claims but women who speak about it will get labeled anti vaxer Karens. We can't win.