Does the COVID-19 Vaccine Affect Your Period? We Looked at 3 Recent Scientific Studies to Find Out!

It’s been a rough couple of years, and we’re all feeling the pinch. Whether it’s mental, physical, emotional, or financial stress, COVID-19 has affected everyone, creating a slew of disorders, panic, and unrest. And while the virus has yet to be around for long enough to determine extended long-term effects of the COVID-19 vaccine, there have been a number of studies done to find out whether it has any impact on your menstrual cycle.

The COVID-19 Vaccine and Your Menstrual Cycle

Today, we’re going to be looking at three recent scientific studies to find out how the COVID-19 vaccine affects your period. With the information we have to date, this is what you can expect when it comes to the coronavirus and your menstrual cycle.

Scientific Study, 16 September 2021: Menstrual Changes After COVID-19 Vaccination

In September 2021, a study by Victoria Male, a lecturer in reproductive immunology at Imperial College London, was published in the BMJ. At that time, it was said that a link between the vaccine and menstrual changes was plausible but that further investigation should be done. Male was led to this conclusion as there was an increase in vulva owners approaching their primary care clinicians and reproductive health workers due to changes in their period and unexpected vaginal bleeding. These patients consisted of various individuals, each vaccinated with one of the current COVID-19 vaccines available to them.

The good news, however, is that the majority of those who did find changes in their monthly period noticed that it returned back to normal in the following cycle. Adversely, at the time of this study, it was impossible to make an official connection between the vaccine and irregular periods. This is because the number of reported interrupted menstrual cycles were low in comparison to the number of people who had been vaccinated. Male suggested that if there were a connection, it could possibly be an immune response to the vaccine rather than a specific component in the vaccine.

In fact, a separate study showed that a quarter of those infected with COVID-19 experienced menstrual disruption (the menstrual cycle can be affected by various stimuli affecting the immune system, such as a viral infection). Not only that, but Male also reported that the COVID-19 vaccine had no negative effects on fertility, stating that, in a clinical trial, unintended pregnancies occurred at a similar rate in vaccinated and unvaccinated groups.

Scientific Study, January 5, 2022: Association Between Menstrual Cycle Length and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Vaccination

In a more recent study by Dr. Alison Edelman, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon, results were equally as reassuring as Victoria Male’s.

The results showed that the vaccine can cause temporary changes to the timing of one’s period, but compared it to the effects of a sore arm after vaccination as opposed to a serious adverse event. “I think it’s reassuring and also validating,” said Edelman. The study looked at nearly 4,000 U.S. residents between the ages of 18 and 45 with normal cycle lengths (24 – 28 days). 2,403 participants received the vaccine (either Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson), while 1,556 had not.

Edelman and the team then began looking at menstruation patterns for three consecutive cycles before taking the first dose of the vaccine, followed by the next three cycles after being vaccinated. They also monitored unvaccinated vulva owners for a period of six cycles.

The results showed that both doses of the vaccine were associated with a less-than-one-day change in cycle length, compared to cycles pre-vaccine. Additionally, the change in length of test subjects’ period was proved not to be affected by the vaccine.

Scientific Study, January 26, 2022: Menstruation and COVID-19 Vaccination

The most recent study on the effects of the COVID-19 vaccine on one’s period was published in the BMJ at the end of January 2022 by Victoria Male. What was interesting about this study is that it mentioned the intervals between receiving the first and the second dose of the vaccine and how this may affect one’s period.

In the U.S. for example, there is an interval of three to four weeks, whereas in the U.K. the interval is eight weeks. In this way, those in the U.K. would not have received both doses in the same menstrual cycle. For that reason, it was difficult to do the same study on those in the U.K. Despite this, there is current research being done by researchers monitoring data from a menstrual cycle tracking app in the U.K. in hopes of reaching clarification that the vaccine has little to no effect on one’s period.

On a different note, this study is still congruent with the studies mentioned above in the fact that the length of one’s period may be slightly interrupted, yet only for the cycle after the vaccine was administered.

A Final Word: The COVID-19 Vaccine and Your Period

Up-to-date studies show that there is no valid reason to panic when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine and your period. On the other hand, more research needs to be done in order to look at different factors, such as the effects of the vaccine on those with pre-existing gynecological conditions.

Interestingly, however, it appears as though the biggest source of worry when it comes to menstruation and the COVID-19 vaccine, is misinformation. Many people believe that the vaccine causes infertility, which has hindered them from receiving their dose(s) and led them to fear changes in their period.

Fear not though, because as it stands, there is no real correlation between being vaccinated and infertility, nor the vaccine creating havoc on your period. But, of course, more clinical trials and research need to be done to deeper understand the effect of both being infected by the virus and the vaccine. And unfortunately, it seems as though studying the link between menstruation and the vaccine is of a lower priority than other COVID-19 studies.

Regardless, now is the time to create more awareness surrounding misinformation. Let’s aim to get everyone vaccinated without any reservations concerning their reproductive health because there are several studies that show that there really is nothing to worry about.