A new series of CNRS studies indicates that 18% of women questioned have indeed experienced changes in their menstrual cycle following their vaccination once morest Covid-19. However, the risk of disturbing upheaval or fertility problems seems non-existent. Contamination with the virus, however, might have a greater impact than vaccination.
There have been a lot of disinformation on social media regarding the Covid-19 vaccine, and especially regarding its potential side effects, when it began to be deployed to fight the virus. While the consequences of vaccines on women’s health are poorly documented by science, a gray area has formed around the question of whether or not the injection might disrupt the menstrual cycle. Testimonials from women suggested that this was the case, doctors assured the contrary. This is why the CNRS researcher Alexandra Alvergne, accompanied by an international network, wanted to take an interest in it. His study, published in ISciencegives concrete answers.
No worries
Its results are clear: vaccination once morest Covid-19 does not cause no change menstrual disturbing, that is, the vaccine alone did not cause an increase in abnormal parameters of the menstrual cycle. The criteria that define an abnormal cycle are established by the international federation of gynecology and obstetrics. For example, having a cycle that lasts less than 24 days or more than 38 daysor have a difference in cycle length that is greater than 9 days. THE periods longer than 8 days or very abundant are considered another form of abnormality. In these cases, it is better to consult. But this study did not reveal any difference in risk of developing an abnormal cycle between the group of vaccinated women and the control group. And this, for THE RNA vaccines or classics. “But that doesn’t mean there haven’t been changes in women’s menstrual cycles”nuance Alexandra Alvergne.
“It’s like when you are told during the vaccine that your arm is going to hurt a little, vYou may have a small lengthening of the cycle, from 1 to 2 days.”
The biologist at the Institute of Evolutionary Sciences in Montpellier and her team have studied the declarations of more than 12,000 menstruating participants, who responded to a scientific questionnaire in March 2021, in the United Kingdom. They were of all ages, socio-economic status, with or without children, from various geographical areas. 5,000 of them were vaccinated once morest Covid-19. On this panel, one in five women (18%) reported menstrual changes following being vaccinated. “It’s still relatively common. It shows that there are changes, but in the vast majority of cases, there’s nothing to worry regarding”believes the researcher, who adds that it is “got” to warn women that these mild side effects exist during the injection, rather than denying their feeling. “When the side effects are not foreseen, I understand that it is scary”.
More risk in smokers or those already infected
Which is unpublished in this study, the risk factors were identified. Thus, the chances of perceiving changes in her cycle following the injection have increased among women who smokeor who have had Covid-19 before. On the contrary, these chances have halved when these people used and contraceptive containingestrogen.
“If we had to worry, in reality, it would be more regarding the Covid itself”, according to the lead author of the study, who looked at a third group among the participants: those who had just contracted the virus, without being vaccinated. In them, the risk of menstrual disorders seemed greater than in vaccinated women, although the vast majority (70%) didn’t have no reports of abnormal cycles.
Immune stress at the heart of these upheavals
“People have been much more worried regarding the vaccine than the Covid, and yet the reason why the vaccine influences the cycles has to do with its impact on the immune systemto the production of cytokines. And this immune stress is potentially less influential than the infection itself.”assures us Alexandra Alvergne.
Obviously, all this remains a trend at the level of a population. This does not mean that there are no exceptions, more worrying cases that require consulting a specialist. But, on average, the vaccine therefore remains safe for menstrual health, and there are no data, including other studies, that show any real fertility-related issues. “It’s like when you are told during the vaccine that you are going to have a little pain in your arm, or a little fever. You may have a small lengthening of the cycle, from 1 to 2 days, or periods a little more abundant, but everything is in general order in the next cycle”, concludes the specialist.
The scientific literature on menstrual cycles, when there is no danger to reproduction, is scarce. It took international teams made up largely of female researchers to seize on this data to catch up with science and keep conspiracy theories out of the debate.
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