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?

I had my first Az at the end of March. I got my period 7 days early which never happens. Same again this month.

I am TTC and ovulating when I would expect to after each cycle.

I am approaching 40 and am worried a may have blown my chances by having the vaccine.

Reported it all on the App

Just came across this thread when googling. I had my first pfizer almost 4 weeks ago. A day or so later I started lightly bleeding ( I was ovulating at the time) - bright red and a bit clotty but only on wiping. I was very crampy and felt like I my period was starting. This went on for approx a week, and then a few days after this my period started. Things have settled since then so not sure if definitely vaccine related. WIll be interested to see what happens after my 2nd dose in August.

In the interests of balance, I've had my AZ 1st dose and had flu-like symptoms (just like mild version of covid, funnily enough) and no impact on cycle noticed so far.

Remember to report to yellow card scheme any side effects, she says, while having forgotten to do this herself ...

yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/

Thanks @ArabellaScott - I've just reported

Def do a report if yours are affected. I’m another one who’s had a dose of AZ and whose periods have been completely unaffected, by the way.

It would be interesting to measure platelet counts post vaccination.

Covid patients often have mild thrombocytopenia. It is a vascular disease.
Yellow card your post-vaccination period irregularities. It is abnormal and needs to be studied.

I had my first jab in February, suffered a chemical shortly afterwards. Had my second jab in May now missed 2 periods. Definitely not pregnant I've taken a test. Also pretty much from the day of my second jab I've had horrendous headaches ever since with pressure right in the back of my skull and in my left ear. I can also hear my heartbeat thudding in my left ear too. The pains hard to describe but if I said if someone removed part of my skull and took out what ever feels like is trapped between my brain and skull that would describe the pain. Painkillers aren't even touching it and trying to get a drs appointment because they still won't see face to face is bloody ridiculous

I recently had Moderna and my period was delayed (normally clock work). It seemed to prolong my usual PMS symptoms (which can also be tracked to the day). I was vaccinated right after my ovulation window.

I developed a rash on my arm about 10 days after the vaccine too - not sure if that is related to the period issue but apparently common with Moderna.

Hoping, have you tried NHS 24 to check that out?

Period 3 weeks late after first AZ jab. Normally very regular, but because of my age (late 40s) I wondered if that was the reason. Then I found a lot of women online reporting late or missed or early periods after the vaccine, and realised it was probably that. Period the following month was bang on time again, so I'm fairly sure it was. I'm pissed off that this hasn't been prominently flagged as a possible side effect by the NHS - fuck knows how many poor women will have been getting their hopes up if they wanted to be pregnant or panicking if they didn't, and it could all have been avoided. But I guess since this is a side effect that only affects female-bodied people, no-one paid any attention.

@ArabellaScott

Hoping, have you tried NHS 24 to check that out?

No I haven't I will do though.

Hope you get some answers & feel better soon.

I had Pfizer two weeks ago, I'm due any day now. Just writing this to remind myself to update.

I was one of the ones who was so anxious, I almost made myself sick with it, then I had a sore arm and felt a bit tired for one day and that was it.

Both my sister and I (mid 30s) have suffered with an early (few days) and extremely heavy period following our AZ vaccines.

I’m really pissed off there isn’t more information and medical knowledge about this whole area. I have no periods due to Mirena. It’s been in a couple of years. Also I am mid forties so my (mirena suppressed) cycle would presumably be likely to be affected by peri anyway. After Covid march 2020 I had very very light spotting for a few months then that went away again. Since vaccination I have had much more noticeable hormonal shifts - sore heavy boobs before ‘period’, dryness and empty boobs afterwards. The ‘period’ is a few days of very light very fresh red blood. There’s very little of the oxidised brown blood with that grainy or mucousy look to it that I would associate with a normal period.
More very light fresh ‘bleeding’ than very light ‘period’ compared to what I remember from the pre-Mirena days. I mentioned this to the GP and he’s now recommended me to have uterine investigations because I should apparently be getting no bleeding at all on Mirena since that has been the norm for me over the course of several different Mirenas over the years.

Obviously if something is wrong I will be very grateful to know, but I can’t help feeling like the understanding of what’s normal for perimenopause is absent, and what’s normal post COVID and post vaccine still not properly understood. I am baffled why our data has not been captured systematically despite as others have said the rare situation which must make research simpler, of whole cohorts of women being vaccinated at the same time.

I’m now dreading having painful and emotionally traumatic invasive internal womb investigation for what could just be normal variation/disruption to vascular health after Covid or after the vaccine. It feels like the opportunity for medics to have more certainty on this has been badly missed. As PP have said, women will have raised hopes or intense worry with disruption to periods and also maybe be sent for invasive internal investigations which may not be needed, as the result.

I am perimenopausal. Hadn’t had a period in about six months then got one about 6 weeks after first vaccine. Didn’t think much of it at the time but 5 days after the second vaccine I got the heaviest period ever. Really clotty and bright red. First time in my life I’ve had to get up during night to change tampon and I’m 52. It’s eased up a bit after 4 days.
I was told the lining of your womb is connected to your immune system so that makes sense but in all honesty when it comes to women’s issues, especially the menopause, there is so much that is still unknown (confirmed to me by someone working as a specialist).

So much trial and error. Something will work for some but not others. When you think how unique every single one of us is yet all too often we are subjected to a one size fits all approach to women’s medication and then we are gaslighted to silence if we raise questions.

Some people like coffee, others prefer tea. Some suffer from hayfever, others don’t. Some like asparagus, others can’t stand the stuff and it makes them gag. So when you think of the concoction of hormones within a person, especially women, each person is reacting to things in a totally individual way. We can send rockets to the moon but still not understand how it all works. It pisses me off, the phallic centred world we live in.

My period was very late and unusually light after my first dose of AZ, and since then my cycle has been irregular.

When I went for my second dose, I was asked if I had any side-effects from the first that weren't mentioned on the leaflet. I explained about changes to my period, and the woman vaccinating me was incredibly dismissive, said something like 'well, I've never heard that one before!' and didn't make any note of it.

I hadn't reported it via the Yellow Card website but I went home afterwards and did just that.

Why are women's concerns so readily dismissed? I remember reading an article about it too, whete they got a doctor to comment and the conclusion was that we were imagining it and always had irregular periods anyway, or it was the menopause. Seriously. If a vaccine actually caused lots of women in their twenties and thirties to become menopausal, that would be a very big deal (for the avoidance of doubt, that's not what's happening here, just the logical conclusion of that dismissive statement!)

Cramping and bleeding again today. Might call the doctor tomorrow as if it's not vaccine related it's still abnormal.

Relieved to find this thread - currently a week late after first AZ nearly a month ago. I’m usually clockwork and track using an app. I seem to have loads of pms symptoms plus nausea and taken multiple pregnancy tests. I’m 44 so could notch this up to natural changes but after years of 28 day cycles it’s odd this is the first month it alters. I will report and feel I should share info with younger friends and colleagues who are now getting there jags.

Mine came around 4 days after both jabs, second time super early. I didn't really think much of it since your immune system is connected to your reproductive system.

I didn’t really think about this. Had the Pfizer jab my first period was three days late the next 4 days early. I am in my 40’s so could be to do with that

This thread has put my mind at ease a little bit but I'm still due to see a doc.
I came off the pill in December.

Had a period Feb and March like clockwork (as I had been before the pill) and then between my first dose in mid March and now (I've had both doses now) I've been all over the place including:
On 25 day cycle,
one cycle where lots of spotting but only really bleeding for one day,
a 38 day cycle
and most recently a 16 day period!

My period was very late and unusually light after my first dose of AZ, and since then my cycle has been irregular.

Just to update my earlier comment, I ended up skipping one entirely and then had a very light one last month. I am normally regular as clockwork 27 day cycle. I have the second one next month with a period due before it, next week.

No change to my cycle but definitely heavier and more painful since my first AZ jab. Got my second one soon so wondering how things will be after that....