How The COVID-19 Vaccine Could Affect Your Period
The COVID-19 vaccine comes with a few side effects you might be familiar with by now, like a mild fever, nausea, and fatigue. But some women are taking to social media to say that the vaccine has changed their menstrual cycle in some way.
Dr. Kate Clancy, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Illinois, took to Twitter and asked if anyone else experienced differences in their periods post-vaccination. She says hers became much heavier than they were before she got the Moderna vaccine. She has gotten hundreds of responses, with many women experiencing changes in their periods after getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
Thetraveldiva1 says she is three years into menopause, and four days after getting her first shot, she experienced some changes — menstruation and more intense hot flashes. Ricolacey says his girlfriend has gotten both Pfizer doses and hasn't had a period since she got her first dose. Lovedbyjay says she hasn't had her period in two years but started her period after getting the first dose. Tiilayne says she received the first dose of the vaccine in January and hasn't had a period since.
And that's just a few of the responses Dr. Clancy received. She set up a form to collect data from anyone experiencing period changes from the vaccine and some people are reporting heavier periods, periods with worse symptoms, irregular periods, or no periods at all. So what can you expect when you get the vaccine?
Will you experience period changes from the vaccine?
From the Twitter responses, it seems some people are experiencing heavier periods while others have had their periods stop entirely. Some are experiencing lighter period symptoms while others are experiencing stronger period symptoms. You might experience changes in your period, too, but it should be temporary. It could also be caused by other factors.
You can experience changes in your period from getting the Covid virus or any other infection or even just from experiencing some stress. But there hasn't been any research on menstrual changes related to the COVID-19 vaccinations, so this information is currently anecdotal.
It's not unusual to have changes in your period from a fever, stress, or anxiety. These could be the causes, but more studies are needed to determine the actual cause. None of the clinical studies on the vaccines have shown changes in menstruation as a side effect (via Health).
If you're experiencing more period pain than usual after getting the vaccine, it could be due to a fever or body aches, which are two typical side effects of the vaccine. The vaccine side effects could be making your period symptoms worse, but it should be temporary. The priority is getting vaccinated so this pandemic can finally end. If your period symptoms are concerning you, make an appointment with your gynecologist to get checked out (Refinery 29). And if you're wondering whether or not you can get the vaccine while on your period, it is definitely safe and fine to do so.