The Covid-19 vaccine has a real impact on the menstrual cycle of women, reveals a new study. The State invites those concerned to declare themselves.
- Respondents were vaccinated with vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax.
- About 14% of respondents reported lighter periods.
“In early 2021, many women started reporting that they had had unexpected menstrual bleeding after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination,” wrote researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA) in a study published in the journal Science Advances.
As part of this work, the scientists collected, from April to October 2021, data from 39,129 people aged 18 to 80 through an online survey. According to the team, all participants were fully vaccinated (at least 14 days after one or two mandatory doses) and had not contracted Covid-19.
Heavier bleeding
According to the results, 42% of volunteers with a regular menstrual cycle experienced heavier bleeding than usual, while 44% reported no change after being vaccinated. Among respondents who usually do not menstruate, 71% of people on long-acting reversible contraceptives, 39% of people on hormone therapy (as part of gender transition), and 66% of people who have gone through menopause reported heavy bleeding after one or two doses.
“We found that increased bleeding [et/ou] metrorrhagia (bleeding occurring outside of menstruation) was significantly associated with age, systemic side effects of the vaccine (fever and/or fatigue), history of pregnancy or childbirth and ethnicity. In general, changes in menstrual bleeding are neither uncommon nor dangerous, but it is necessary to pay attention to such cases to build confidence in medicine”, explained the authors.
Can the Covid-19 vaccine cause premature menopause?
On July 5, a 23-year-old woman said on social media that she was suffering from early menopause due to the Covid vaccine. “Since my second dose of Pfizer, I have had my period six times in total in almost a year. After hormonal analyzes and gynecological consultations, the diagnosis falls: menopause”, she wrote about Twitter. Contacted by 20 minutesthe patient admits having had “serious delays in menstruation of more than 3 months”, “hemorrhagic flows” and “possible fertility problems”.
According to Doctor Geoffroy Robin, Secretary General National College of French Gynecologists and Obstetricians (CNGOF), “It is in this case a fortuitous association.” He explained, to 20 Minutes, that the twenty-something could be predisposed to develop premature ovarian failure (ie early menopause), which could have appeared at the same time.
The State invites the women concerned to declare themselves
“No other case of premature ovarian failure has been reported in clinical studies. (…) In the vast majority, these are transient, minor and totally reversible menstrual disorders. Two types of disorders have mainly been described: either ovulation disorders, i.e. changes in the abundance of menstruation”, added the doctor.
Despite the testimonies, the health authorities have not yet no causal link established. As a precaution, the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM) nevertheless invited women affected by these menstrual disorders which appeared after vaccination to declare them, directly on the portal of the Ministry of Health, indicating “the most detailed information possible in the declaration form”. The agency has even put a declaration assistance guide online for patients and healthcare professionals.