Several women say they have had heavier and more painful periods since receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, with several also revealing that they had breakthrough bleeding in the middle of a cycle after receiving the injection.
Dr. Kate Clancy, an associate professor at the University of Illinois, tweeted in February that she had heard talk of people experiencing changes in their periods since receiving one or two vaccinations.
Her Twitter thread has prompted more women to share their menstrual issues on Twitter, revealing their heavy periods, aggravated cramps, and irregular timing – with one saying she bled for 16 days after getting the Johnson & Johnson shot .
Changes: Some women report heavier and more painful periods after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine (stock image)
Dr. Clancy first tweeted on Feb. 24, but her thread continued to find other Twitter users looking for explanations for their symptoms.
“A colleague told me she had heard from others that their periods were heavy after the vax,” she wrote.
I wonder if other menstruators have also noticed changes? I’m a week and a half away from dose 1 of Moderna, got my period maybe a day or so early, and stumbled like I’m in my 20s again.
‘I’m on day 3 of my period and still exchange extra long night blocks a few times a day. Typical for me right now are maybe one or two regular pads (though extra absorbent, Always Infinity pads) for the whole day, ” she continued.
Does this have to do with how the vax response triggers a broader inflammatory response, possibly even more so because of the lipid nanoparticle or mRNA mechanism? Regardless, I am fascinated! Inflammation + Tissue Remodeling = Extra Bleeding! she added.
Soon other Twitter users played their own experiences. While some have said their periods have not changed, many reported taking the time to comment on differences.
Viral: Dr. Kate Clancy, an associate professor at the University of Illinois, tweeted in February that she had heard about people experiencing changes in their periods
The most common changes include heavier periods and periods that start in the middle of a cycle.
‘I got J&J on March 15th and started my period about 2 days later – more than a week early. It was tougher than usual, ‘one wrote.
“Two weeks right after shot # 2, my cycle started 12 days earlier and heavier than the last three years,” said another.
‘I am 3 weeks away from my first Moderna shot and my period started in the middle of a BC pack. That never happened to me in the 12 years that I took the pill. I never even see between periods, ‘wrote another.
“My period after the first dose of Moderna came a week early and was the most painful I’ve ever had,” tweeted another. “After the second dose, it came almost two weeks late and my cycle has been regular for years, so I knew it was the vaccine, but I was afraid to say that.”
“I thought I was going CRAZY,” replied another. ‘I got the J&J injection three days before my period started and it’s now … 16 days of bleeding (normal periods for 5 days and then light but consistent bleeding for the rest).’
She too: Her Twitter thread has led more women to share their period problems on Twitter, revealing their heavy periods, aggravated cramps and irregular timing
‘Me too!’ wrote another. ‘I have an IUD and haven’t had a period in years, but have cramps and spotting today (1st dose of Pfizer was yesterday). Not a big deal, totally worth it, but strange! ‘
Monica Grohne, the founder of Marea Wellness, said her company has “heard from thousands of women about COViD and the vaccine that affects their periods.”
Others have discussed their own experiences on Reddit, with hundreds of other commenters participating.
‘I had my first Pfizer vaccine on Friday, sore breasts on Sunday and my period yesterday. It’s two weeks early. I’ve been like clockwork regularly on a 26-28 day cycle since they started 25 years ago, ‘one wrote.
“Mine was on time but super tough, which isn’t my norm,” said another.
To conduct further research, Dr. Clancy has since compiled a survey open to adults who have had at least one period in their lifetime and who have received at least one vaccination with COVID-19.
Side Effects: Monica Grohne, the founder of Marea Wellness, said her company has “ heard from thousands of women about COVID and the vaccine that affects their periods ”
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US has their own reporting system for vaccine adverse reactions.
According to Health, experts aren’t sure why some women can see changes in their periods, and so far there isn’t enough data to know.
Infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, MD, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Maryland, suggested that any additional pain may be related to normal vaccine pain.
Others suggested that stress could be a factor.
‘There is no biological mechanism that would explain this [the] disruption of the menstrual cycle after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, ”said Mark Turrentine, MD, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas.
He also said bleeding changes did not emerge as a side effect during clinical studies.
While there is not yet hard data on periods after vaccination, a small study of 177 patients published in January in the journal Reproductive BioMedicine Online found that 25 percent of those who had the virus had “ changes in menstrual volume ” and 19 percent longer periods than usual.
Statistics: Women are more likely to report worse side effects than men, according to data from the CDC
On Facebook, a global support group for long-term COVID patients with more than 22,000 female members is hosting numerous discussions about a sudden lack of periods and concerns about fertility.
A poll of more than 100 members with a long COVID found that 80 percent reported that their periods had changed since they were infected with COVID.
As for the vaccine, women are more likely to report worse side effects after they get them than men, CDC data reveals.
In February, officials looked at nearly 7,000 responses reported to the agency’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).
They found that nearly 80 percent of the reactions were reported by women, making them four times more likely to report an adverse reaction than men.
This was true regardless of whether they received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine or the Moderna vaccine, despite the fact that women are less likely to become seriously ill from COVID-19 than men.