In 2021, questions were raised over people experiencing unexpected menstrual bleeding after receiving the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. An online study surveyed almost 40,000 people in which 42 per cent of participants with regular menstrual cycles reported bleeding more heavily than usual after their vaccine.Gino Pecoraro, specialist obstetricians and gynaecologists at the University of Queensland said while the paper is interesting, “the inherent weaknesses in the study design make it difficult to attribute too much weight to the findings.”Due to the nature of the opt-in survey means the statistics cannot represent how frequent heavier bleeding was at a population level. Ms Pecoraro said the study raises important questions for future and better designed studies. “The article mentions there are very few studies looking at the effect of vaccination per se on menstrual cycles and this suggests it would be a useful effect to consider in future trials of vaccines,” Ms Pecoraro said. Previous vaccine trial protocols don’t usually have a focus on the first seven days after vaccination leading to the missed opportunity of the potential impacts on the menstrual cycle.Breakthrough bleeding was recorded in some people who don’t usually menstruate, such as those on long-acting reversible contraceptives or gender-affirming hormones and those who have experienced menopause. Katharine Lee the author of the study along with her colleagues from the Washington University said changes were not unexpected. “Generally, changes to menstrual bleeding are not uncommon or dangerous, yet attention to these experiences is necessary to build trust in medicine,” they wrote in the journal Science Advances.NED-5250-Victoria’s Covid-19 statisticsHelen Petousis-Harris, vaccinologist from the University of Auckland said it is very common for women’s periods to vary. “Particularly during stressful times and changed to a period after a vaccine has been documented many times over,” Ms Petousis-Harris said. Ms Petousis-Harris said there are now several studies using a varied approach that suggest that in the month following receipt of a dose of Covid-19 vaccine, some women have a small change to their period. “The important message is it is very clear that the vaccine has no adverse effects on fertility or pregnancy,” she said. “The evidence shows that getting the vaccine has no negative impact on any of these things and it is important for protecting pregnant women and their infants.”“These new findings are of no surprise and certainly no reason to delay or avoid a COVID-19 vaccine.”
Powered by WPeMatico
