Does COVID-19 Vaccine Cause Menstrual Change? Here’s What NIH Found Out!

The National Institutes of Health has launched a $1.67 million study to consider reports claiming that the COVID-19 vaccination may have unintended consequences for reproductive health.

NIH reports about the correlation of COVID-19 vaccine and menstruation. (Photo: eMediHealth)

In the United States, the three COVID-19 vaccinations — Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson — have been publicly accessible to all adults for a little over six months. But, as The Lily reported in April, even in the early days of vaccination distribution, some women were experiencing irregular periods after receiving their injections.

Shana Clauson, 45, shared her experience after receiving the vaccine at the time this week. She said that her period came sooner and heavier than usual. She was one of a large number of people who gathered on social media.

NIH Takes Note Of COVID-19 Vaccines Giving Unintended Consequences For Reproductive Health 

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) seems to have taken notice of Clauson and others’ claims, as they stated on August 30 that they were planning to do precisely such study, with up to half a million participants, including teenagers and transgender and nonbinary individuals.

The study, commissioned by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the Office of Research on Women’s Health, has enlisted researchers from Boston University, Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins University, Michigan State University, and Oregon Health and Science University.

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The research will monitor originally unvaccinated individuals for about a year to see how they alter after each treatment. Some organizations may explicitly exclude members who are using birth control or gender-affirming medications, both of which might affect periods.

COVID-19 Does Not Cause Infertility, Health Officials Said

According to the National Institutes of Health, changes in the menstrual cycle may result from a variety of living situations during a pandemic, including the stress of lifestyle changes or potentially dealing with sickness. Furthermore, since the immune and reproductive systems are inextricably connected, the idea that an immune-boosting vaccination could interrupt the normal menstrual cycle is conceivable, as shown by prior vaccine uptake studies.

It’s also worth mentioning that the vaccination does not cause infertility, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises pregnant women to get it.

Because menstrual cycle alterations aren’t “truly a life and death problem,” according to Bianchi, the Food and Drug Administration highlighted only the most serious hazards linked with the COVID-19 vaccination.

The National Institutes of Health, too, worked quickly to put the project together. It would take years for funding for such a research to be approved.

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