Periods / miscarriages after vaccine

[TierdOfLockdown]

Please hear me out before I get called an anti vaxer.

I am just hesitant after reading about period/pregnancy side effects.

I am 23 and I have had covid, I know I wont be offered a vaccien for a while.

I looked at the yellow card reports after seeing multiple women talk about delayed periods etc.

I have had gynae issues over the past year. I also had covid and was not seriously ill. So thsi makes me even more hesitant to get the vaccine.

Miscarriages (spontaneous abortions) and still births have also been reported.

No causal link has been made though. (However, I doubt it will be fully investigated as it is a womens health problem)

I have attached the Astra zenenca and pfizer yellow card reporting, I just screenshotted the bits about periods and misscariages. These are from the gov website

www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine-adverse-reactions

Does anyone else find this really concerning? And these are just the ones that were reported. Does this happen with other vaccines too?

Here aswell

Can I just say I'm 41 had covid in November my periods after that was late and/or different to usual pattern.they are returning to normal now.not really spoke to anyone if they had similar experience.

Hello there @TierdOfLockdown, you're not at all alone in your concerns about this issue. I'm a 28 y/o woman, no children and a regular cycle. I have been reading anecdotes on social media from women reporting missed/late/heavier periods and have been waiting for a news or academic source to pick it up. Finally there was a DM article last night, and a professor from the University of Illinois is now looking into the matter (Dr. Kate Clancy).
What worries me most is no one seems to know why this is occurring. In the article I mentioned, a gyno professor is quoted saying "there is no biologic mechanism that would account for the disruption of the menstrual cycle following receipt of the COVID-19 vaccine." So what on Earth is going on with these women's cycles?? Isn't this a big deal? If they have literally no clue what mechanism is behind it....?
I don't want to mess with my cycle. At all. The thought fills me with dread and a deep intuitive sense of wrongness. On the other hand, I am not afraid of contracting Covid, I understand the risk is very small to me and I've been exposed to it multiple times with no symptoms.
Also, to me, it feels easier to accept taking on the small risk of complications from a naturally occurring virus, rather than subjecting myself knowingly to potential menstrual effects (the reasons for which are currently unknown to science) through a vaccine that I don't feel would be for my benefit, but for the benefit of a vague notion of society, of which I am a tiny part.

If research was done showing the mechanism, and proving it benign/just a side effect with no further impact, of course I would be fine with it.
That's it really. I'm sorry for the ramblings but it's really been playing on my mind. Know you aren't alone in your worries and that this subject IS gaining traction in terms of research/media coverage. So things may change/more info may come out before you have to take a decision about getting the vaccine or not. Hugs.

You’ve had covid, I assume you have antibodies. IMHO, and in the medical opinion of many doctors - look on YouTube and online, you do not need a vaccine if you have antibodies.
At your age, and with the hope of having children, I would not be considering getting a vaccine.
Elderly or vulnerable are a different risk, but if you are recovered and otherwise healthy, I think you’d be mad to get a vaccine at this point.

I speak as someone who had a chemical pregnancy after my first Pfizer vaccine... Miscarriage is very common unfortunately, and there's no causal link between the jab and a miscarriage. I did lots of reading around it at the time, there isn't a mechanism that would cause miscarriage. I definitely don't blame the jab.

My period has been like clockwork since (still TTC).

Don’t worry too much about the Yellow Card data. While it’s important in helping track any possible side effects from any medications or vaccines, these will be amplified with the Covid jab because so many people have had it. So if you compared the normal miscarriage rate alongside those reported in people who’ve had the vaccine, I suspect it either wouldn’t be that different or lower for those vaccinated.
In this case, doctors are also actively encouraging people to report side effects to the MHRA, and will be reporting what they observe more thoroughly, which doesn’t happen usually.
Hope that’s reassuring.

I missed a period following AZ end of January, subsequent 2 periods have been really heavy, completely different to my usual experience. But I'm 48 so could just be a coincidence and purely age related. Its really hard to know and the whole thing is very confusing. I feel for younger people as obviously messing with the cycle has bigger implications. Hopefully more will become clear as time goes on.

@TierdOfLockdown

Please hear me out before I get called an anti vaxer.

I am just hesitant after reading about period/pregnancy side effects.

I am 23 and I have had covid, I know I wont be offered a vaccien for a while.

I looked at the yellow card reports after seeing multiple women talk about delayed periods etc.

I have had gynae issues over the past year. I also had covid and was not seriously ill. So thsi makes me even more hesitant to get the vaccine.

Miscarriages (spontaneous abortions) and still births have also been reported.

No causal link has been made though. (However, I doubt it will be fully investigated as it is a womens health problem)

I have attached the Astra zenenca and pfizer yellow card reporting, I just screenshotted the bits about periods and misscariages. These are from the gov website

www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine-adverse-reactions

Does anyone else find this really concerning? And these are just the ones that were reported. Does this happen with other vaccines too?

Thanks OP for bringing this up.

It is a serious concern of mine and one I'm watching.

@potterycat2222 I feel exactly the same, tbh since I recovered from covid already I think I will avoid the vaccine until a causal link has been ruled out tbh. It just really concerns me and I know the anxiety I will get if my periods mess up will be worse for me than the mild covid infection I had.

I would rather have covid again than deal with the anxiety I mean.

I'm just hoping they can rule out a causal link tbh.

Can't read those pics but I had a chemical Pregnancy after the Astra Zeneca jab

I've been offered the vaccine but currently undergoing ivf so I won't be having it for a while. This is concerning though ! I hadn't heard about it before now

DD is 18 and won’t be having the vaccine when offered for these reasons. Endometriosis runs in the women in her fathers family (all her paternal aunts have it) and she’s starting to have some symptoms of it. She wants to be a mum in the future and doesn’t want to take the vaccine as a precaution in case something is discovered about it that puts her at a higher risk for infertility than she already is.

Just to add, I completely respect her decision and believe I’d have made the same choice in her position.

Thank you for starting this discussion OP, issues like this are always glossed over as just being another “woman” problem.

Err so out of 30 million vaccinations, there's been what, a couple of hundred reports of changes to menstrual cycle....

...well that NEVER happens normally does it??

If I had a penny for everyone who'd said to me, "I'm always so regular, and it's late!"... I'd be rich!

@potterycat2222.

And it’s all well and good people saying “well Covid may affect women’s reproductive systems as well!” but Covid has already been suppressed enough that you’d have to just be really unlucky to get it. As long as you take appropriate precautions, you likely will not get it. And even if you do, your body has probably battled many many many different coronaviruses in its time such as regular cold viruses and none of them affect fertility as far as we know. The viruses that do typically cause fertility problems aren’t coronaviruses AFAIK (not a doctor, please somebody correct me if I’m wrong there!) Whereas the vaccines are causing widespread changes in women’s periods and it hasn’t been determined why.

I’m not antivax and absolutely believe these vaccines are the way out of this, but I don’t blame young women for being hesitant.

@bookworm1632.

1. There are many more anecdotal reports

1. The vast majority of women of childbearing age haven’t been vaccinated yet

Ohhhh how interesting! After my first vaccine my period was delayed, there, not there, and dragged on for 10 days. Usually it is regular and pretty much all dumps out in 3 days! I wonder if that is why? Will see what happens this month.

I don't mind, would rather have a weird period a couple of times and still have the vaccine!

I may be the exception but my period was a few days early after my vaccination, but wow its dragging out longer than usual with so far several extra days of spotting at the end.
(I have had other post vaccine symptoms that are being investigated though, so wish I'd mentioned this to gp but hadn't even thought of it as related, oops)

@bookworm1632

Err so out of 30 million vaccinations, there's been what, a couple of hundred reports of changes to menstrual cycle....

...well that NEVER happens normally does it??

If I had a penny for everyone who'd said to me, "I'm always so regular, and it's late!"... I'd be rich!

I havent read the link yet.

Just saying that there have been two if not three threads about people with changes to menstral cycles, even on MN.
So I am just suspecting that there are way more than 200 in the country who have had changes.[yes I know you mean 200 reports].

I take your point about people often saying what you wrote in your last sentence.

The link between the immune system and the menstrual cycle is well known and has been long established before Covid.

It's not really surprising that when millions of women are having their immune systems activated via vaccination, that there should be reports about changes to their menstrual cycle.

Women's cycles are disrupted all the time by viruses and immune system activity, it's just that we are currently in a period of time where this is happening to millions of people at once, because of the nature of the pandemic.

Surely if it can impact on blood, and cause blood clots it can impact on the menstrual cycle?

If I had a penny for everyone who'd said to me, "I'm always so regular, and it's late!"... I'd be rich!

I know, I know but I'm literally on the dot & have been forever. Had suspected covid (test result was lost) & my period was 5 days late. I've been hospitalised for infections & operations in the past, no impact on menstrual cycle. I even did a pregnancy test (even though I knew I hadn't had sex) because I was so confused.

Your age group is unlikely to get their first vaccination before end june/start of July. Firstly more research will be known. Secondly its likely your age 18-30 will get moderna or another .
drug. currently in 3rd level approval.

I also wouldn't get hung up on yellow card events. If you've seen what some ppl have reported I wouldn't get worried. Remember that drug got tried with thousands of volunteers who reported symptoms who had access to Dr's on the trials.

I took part in a trial at level 2. I had no side effect other than 1 expected

I'm in touch with several ppl on my trial and others. I've never heard as many problems as those on MN.

Honestly I know its not hard. But try not to worry things will be different again by the time your vaccination comes.

My period is often missed or delayed when I get poorly and I miss a period every month when I have annual flu jab. My body is seemingly very to change.. for example, I’m currently two weeks late after having a stinking cold 🙄 My doc has never been concerned, he says it’s my body using it’s energy elsewhere. I’ve got two children who I conceived the first time we tried with both. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Look at it this way, my 28 year old sister in law got covid & spent 3 weeks in high dependency struggling to breathe. They were extremely worried about baby due to a lack of oxygen. She was 24 weeks & they were close to delivering. They can’t give you the same drugs in treatment when you are pregnant, options are limited. It was a very traumatic time for her. So, yeh, covid is pretty low to you as a non pregnant 20 year old but do you want to protect yourself in preparation for being pregnant when you will become high risk & need to take precautions if not vaccinated 🤷🏼‍♀️ My sis in law was unlucky but covid during pregnancy is not good. The more chance you have to stop it becoming a serious illness, the better IMO. There was some semi-famous person on Instagram who was in ICU unconscious for 3 months after giving birth due to covid. Can you imagine?! She is very overweight which probably didn’t help but regardless..

@holmeh The person i caught covid from someone who was pregnant (and she was fine), so whilst I understand your point and I am sorry about your sister in law, it doesn't convince me to rush into vaccination.

Additionally I could have B cells/T cells which can last along time (although this is unknown.)

I really think it is hard to tell how covid may affect you individually.