Are COVID-19 Vaccines Adversely Impacting Women’s Menstrual Cycles?
Are COVID-19 Vaccines Adversely Impacting Women’s Menstrual Cycles?
Are COVID-19 vaccines impacting female menstrual cycles? A new Israeli study seeks to find out as mounting real-world data points to a phenomenon observed in women worldwide after receiving the second vaccine dose. Social media in Israel was recently abuzz with women sharing their experiences, ranging from irregularity to unusual amounts of bleeding. In other cases, postmenopausal women report bleeding. At the same time, medical establishment experts cannot explain the observations or even link such a phenomenon to the jabs, perhaps in part because these observations could be associated with any number of other causes. Regardless of the ever-growing number of complaints after vaccination, clinical investigators are moving to study the situation in more detail. For example, the American government has put $1.76 million to study the subject in a study led by Johns Hopkins University’s Mostafa Borahay, MD, Ph.D., associate professor of gynecology and obstetrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. While in Israel, chairman of the Israel Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Professor Roni Maimon of Shamir Medical Center, initiates Israel’s first investigation into the matter.
The Subject
Known as Menstruation or more casually as a period, this event is part of a woman’s monthly reproductive cycle. Every month, a woman’s uterus prepares for pregnancy and thickens its walls by increasing the levels of two hormones, estrogen and progesterone. If pregnancy fails to occur, the uterus sheds its lining as the blood and mucus make up the menstrual flow that leaves the body through the vagina during the period.
The Israeli Situation
One of the most vaccinated places on the planet against COVID-19, Israel has become sort of a real-world laboratory for issues associated with COVID-19 vaccination.
Recently, Haaretz’ Ido Efrati reported that some vaccinated Israeli women were reporting irregular menstrual cycles. While there is no proof the issues originate from the vaccine, the irregularities are spooking vaccinated females concerned about associated fertility issues.
Back to America
In the U.S., Johns Hopkins Medicine’s Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics is one of five selected study centers to investigate the impacts of COVID-19 vaccines on Menstruation.
The aforementioned $1.67 million grant funded by the NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development as well as the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health is led by Mostafa Borahay, MD, Ph.D., associate professor of gynecology and obstetrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
According to a recent quote from Professor Borahay, “There may be several reasons why a woman might experience unscheduled menstrual bleeding, abnormal periods or bleeding that is heavier than usual.” The Johns Hopkins investigator continued, “This research will help us better understand if there’s a real link between the COVID-19 vaccines and these menstrual changes, or if there is something else, such as lifestyle changes or pandemic-related stress.”
Possible Hypothesis
According to the Johns Hopkins team, the possible explanation associates with the vaccinated person’s immune response post-vaccination. That is, the jab may bring immune cells into the endometrium (uterus). This could possibly lead to observations occurring around the world.
Professor Borahay continued, “If there’s a relationship between the COVID-19 vaccines and the menstrual changes, we need to know how it happens.” And the doctor emphasized, “Therefore, we plan to examine the response of the endometrium to the COVID-19 vaccination at the biological level.”
Observational Study in the UK
One recent study out of the UK led to inconclusive results. Published in the BMJ, the Imperial College School of Medicine and Westminster Hospital investigators studied over 30,000 reports of irregular menstrual symptoms during a period associated with COVID-19 vaccination until September 2, 2021.
The subjects in this observational study report that the conditions had seemingly gone back to normal by their next cycle. TrialSite reported recently that the lead investigator, Dr. Victoria Male, suggests further research be conducted.
Lead Research/Investigator
Mostafa Borahay, MD, Ph.D., associate professor of gynecology and obstetrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Professor Roni Maimon of Shamir Medical Center
Call to Action: TrialSite will monitor this research and provide updates as they are available.
