Periods and the covid vaccine

[ArabellaScott]

I just saw this - apologies if it's been posted before.

'Scientists launch study to find out if COVID-19 vaccines are causing period changes after hundreds of women notice irregularities'

Also US based, so perhaps won't apply here, but still may be of interest.

www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-9495727/Researchers-studying-women-report-changes-periods-taking-COVID-vaccine.html

The comments are veering into some pretty wild conspiracy theories, but I found it really interesting that there is potentially an impact on periods - especially after learning about immunity and oestrogen, etc.

Some very complex interactions, perhaps?

@Fishflakes

Covid infection and vaccination have affected women’s cycles. I reported all my vaccination symptoms to the MHRA yellow card scheme. Please do it if you have been effected, to encourage a medical culture of asking us about this stuff. It’s quick and easy.

I also complained to the Tell Zoe people that they didn’t gather any information about women properly. It is ridiculous- they don’t record biological sex data properly so who is answering will be skewed, they don’t ask about any existing hormonal treatments like HRT or contraception, don’t ask questions about disruption menstrual cycles and any suspected Covid effect. Tell Zoe still don’t ask those questions despite having it pointed out to them (threads on that back when it started on FWR in 2020.)

On here and all over social media it was being mentioned that women’s cycles were being affected in this way. Not a new phenomenon. So I was happy to see Tim Spector mention this but continuing the ‘default male’ model is completely unacceptable in this day and age when large scale data gathering is easier and cheaper than it’s ever been and a lot of female and male patients have smartphone access and many are motivated to contribute their data to covid research.

Yes, I read about the menstruation symptoms (or potential ones) via an email from the Zoe app.

It is nonsense that they're not collecting data properly - iirc they started with 'sex' and then changed it to 'gender' and seemed to go on down that route despite people pointing out that there were genuine sex based differences in response and these needed to be recorded accurately.

All this gender crap has potentially very serious effects on precisely this kind of issue.

@SexTrainGlue

Have you reported that through the Yellow Card?

Resumption of menses when they had otherwise ceased or been suppressed is a symptom that requires investigation, as you had done, and definitely worth a report if you haven't already done so

Yes I reported it :)

My period was just starting when I had my first jab last week. No effect on it whatsoever. Other side effects but not that. I also often get hormonal migraines with my periods but didn’t that time.

I tend to think that there might be a real effect but also might be coincidence. My periods have changed in regularity and heaviness quite a bit over the last two years, basically since I turned 40. As women in their 40s are now being vaccinated en masse, many of them will coincidentally be experiencing early perimenopause symptoms like these.

Even if the jab is causing some period-related symptoms (and it might well be since anything from stress to food eaten can affect your cycle) I don’t see a need to worry. I’ve missed periods through exam stress or house moves and there’s no long term effects.

I had my Jab at the end of March. Period was 8 weeks late and started yesterday and my god its the worst since ever. I nearly fainted earlier. I'm now on the sofa feeling guilty for not being a great mum today

I wouldnt be surprised if the jab affected periods, the virus certainly does. No one's investigating that though.

I have had changes, delayed, missed periods, etc since having covid in October. I'm wondering if it is my body reacting in a similar way to some woman, mainly of a certain age I suspect mainly due to the age for most people currently having had vaccines, after their covid vaccines.

I've been putting down to my age (late 40s) but it has been very noticeable since I was hit with covid, when looking back at my tracker app.

I'm currently experiencing the heaviest period I have ever had, 3 weeks after receiving my first vaccine dose. I'm 47 and have been perimenopausal for a few years, I'm pretty sure this is out of the ordinary even for that. Oddly enough though, I'm usually in a lot of pain but not this time, despite flooding several times a day.

Thanks to the PP for the link to the yellow card system, I've reported my experience.

I'd already reported via the Zoe app and came away annoyed that the direct reporting of vaccine side effects stops after a week. With disruption to the menstrual cycle being increasingly in the spotlight, you'd think that it could be reported as a vaccine side effect rather than through the "I'm not feeling quite right" method.

Also want to add, given that this kind of after effect happens to women who have both had covid and had the vaccine, I'm not at all sorry that I've been vaccinated despite being effectively housebound by flooding for the first time in my life. It's a risk Vs benefit thing, if I wasn't vaccinated I would be far more likely to catch covid and end up with these symptoms anyway.

I'm 2 weeks late on my period. Got the vaccine 3 weeks ago. I've been like clockwork at 30 days since I got off birth control 5 years ago. I'm definitely not pregnant.

@SexTrainGlue

On the other hand, this is not a study of women. Because not all women menstruate. It is specific to those who are menstuating (excluding the peri and menopausal, the pregnant, those with no uterus, and those on certain contraception)

I would not muddle up use of menstruators when menstruation is not just a relevant issue but the whole point and not a synonym for all women, with times when it is being shoehorned in as synonymous

Women who menstruate is fine.

I've had one period since my vaccine - about a fortnight later. It was a blood bath. No idea if that's related but it did strike me as strange at the time.

I skipped a period after my first astrazeneca dose. Put it down to being 4 months post partum but I'd been regular up until then (they came back far too quickly haha). Now I've seen this thread I've reported it to the yellow card scheme just incase

I'm 45 and was actually looking forward to maybe skipping a period post vaccine but no it arrived like clockwork a couple of weeks later exactly the same as any other period. Seemingly nothing interferes with my cycle bar pregnancy and I guess menopause at some point.

The only thing that stood out was headaches that lasted the duration of my period which isn't usual for me. I did feel particularly shit and run down but it changed nothing physically with my actual period.

I was having hot flushes, various other menopausal stuff and hadn't had a period for months. Had the vaccine, had low down ovulation type pain for a week afterwards (plus joint and muscle pain). Lo and behold my period arrived three weeks later. I've had no hot flushes since the day before the vaccine. I'm still bleeding, have muscle pain, headaches and the muscle at the top of the vaccinated arm is very tender. Tbh, I wish I'd never had the vaccine. I've no idea what to do about the second.

Interested to read about the headaches, as a hormone related migraine sufferer. I track my symptoms on a period app and can see that I had a migraine for 5 days straight during the period after my first dose. That's much worse than usual. My next period was then extremely late. But. as PP pointed out I am 40 so could be peri? No other peri symptoms before or since however.

I'm still extraordinarily grateful to have had my vaccine though.

For any interested males reading, a late period isn't simply the worry of pregnancy and risk of bleeding through clothes in public. In fact, for me anyway, the blood is usually the least significant of all my period symptoms. Abdominal cramps, painful bloating, migraine and hormone related mental health experiences have far more impact on my life; a late period often seems to mean experiencing these symptoms for twice as long.

Cannot believe Zoe don't think sex data is worth recording. Oh, wait, of course I can! It's always the same old male-centred stance when it's an academic, big charity or government backed institution.

I think it's really good that this is being talked about more widely. Sometimes 'anecdotal evidence ' gets dismissed far too quickly. Last spring many people were talking about loss of taste and smell with covid and people called it anecdotal evidence, yet now it's listed as a major symptom.

I've seen theories about undiagnosed mild endometriosis being a cause of these period changes, which I thought was interesting. However I also saw a woman on Twitter say she had a period two years post-menopause following vaccination but didn't think too much of it. Post-menopausal bleeding is a serious health symptom that needs proper investigation! I also wonder how this can be a 'period' in the proper sense of the word, as that surely involves the release and non-fertilisation of an ovum?

I think there is much serious investigation that needs to be done regarding this issue. Fertility is very precious indeed and we should take no risks with it.

It seems reasonable that there may be some effect on periods/cycles/hormones, seeing as hormones have an impact on the immune system (why males were more at risk from covid, I believe).

In general, it would be good if women's health issues weren't generally dismissed so frequently with 'it's just hormonal, puberty/peri-menopause' and we're expected to accept any and all odd symptoms as just being part and parcel of womanhood.

So, if we want evidence based medecine, we need to take note, record, report to the yellow card scheme, and medics need to listen, assess and question.

@Whatwouldscullydo

This is interesting. I'm glad they are looking into it.

Dds had some irregularities during the pandemic mainly very short cycles. None of us in the house have tested positive at any point so cant pin it to anything obviously. But given my age and the fact I can finally enjoy being predictable /regular since having kids probably more down to being forced to take better care if myself, I'm really loathed to take the vaccine as a result. I'm glad they are looking into it. Disturbed by the number of comments claiming messed up periods is a small price to pay. Clearly no idea of the huge importance to our health that our menstrual cycle is a part of.

It is a small price to pay compared with the risks of Covid!

I skipped a period after my vaccine and was worried I was pregnant so it did cause me some upset.

I do think we need reliable information so women know what they can expect instead of telling us it is not a side effect.

This is one of the reasons why im worried. You cant say this on the Covid board without someone inferring you are an anti vaxxer. Im 48 next month and my periods are shorter but heavy and now very painful. Its bad enough as it is. I was also prevented from having the Pill when i was 24 due to blood clot risk. I havent had the Covid vaccine yet.

I've had headaches for two weeks now post jab. And joint pain. At the same time, I haven't had COVID and do think I'd have had it badly and potentially worse symptoms so I'm glad I had the jab. Not looking forward to the next though!

I've wondered if it somehow impacts oestrogen / progesterone levels or vice versa.

A woman at work may now have long Covid and is having investigations to rule things out; however she sounds like she's struggling with menopausal symptoms.

Some reports from last year noted changes in thyroid function in people who had Covid and have healthy thyroids (I think over active briefly?) fluctuations in which which definitely affects periods. Who knows if something similar is happening?

I had the AZ vaccine in the middle of March and felt mostly fine, a bit feverish the second night and then I had the most massive period lasting three weeks starting on the Easter weekend, about two weeks after the vaccination. I actually wondered if you can menstruate to death, it was that bad. But I'm 55 and i'm clearly perimenopausal, there is no way I can tell if this was caused by the vaccine or by menopause.

Also anecdotal, I am menopausal, haven’t had a period for over two years, and I got a period 10 days after my first Pfizer jab. Maybe coincidence but I reported it as a side effect anyway and made appointment to check it out in case it’s not linked to vaccination. More research is definitely needed on the link if indeed there is one

I'm.sure you all know this but any bleed after having been through the menopause requires speaking to a dr as I believe it an be a sign of something a bit more sinister.

Thus I guess is another worry. Will drs write it off as just a vaccine side effect and not see the patient.

Creates a bit if a sticky situation.

But anyway please speak to your drs if you have been through menopause but had a bleed.

DD had Covid in December and every period after that for the next 3 months was accompanied by a facial rash. There's definitely something going on between Covid and menstrual cycles.

I've not had a period since the vaccine, but I am peri-menopausal so my periods are somewhat all over the place anyway.

I'm.sure I read in here somewhere too that thise who suffer from migraines or cluster headaches , had them triggered after having the vaccine too I don't know if it was a trigger as I have headaches anyway but I did have a week or so of headaches after the vaccine.

I've had Astra first dose... and have odd period pains since... and today I have some bleeding 10 days early
My periods are always quite routine and on time