COVID Jabs Are Causing Erratic, Painful Periods Among A Large Number Of Women In India

Thousands of women around the world have reportedly experienced changes in their menstrual cycle after receiving COVID vaccine jabs.

As COVID vaccines started to roll out globally, a small but growing number of women have reported short-term changes in their menstrual cycle following vaccination.

Heavier periods, severe cramps, or an early, delayed or even absent period after COVID jabs are among the most noticeable changes.

This has fed debates about the gender data gap in medical research, with reference to changes to the menstrual cycle.

There have been anecdotal reports of changes to menstrual cycles post vaccination, yet specific data about this phenomenon¡¯s frequency are currently scarce.

These reports have raised many questions on how might a person¡¯s menstrual cycle change after a vaccine? Are these really COVID-19-related side effects, or are they due to stress and other life changes that may coincide with vaccination.

Women report abnormally painful periods, heavy bleeding

Indiatimes spoke to multiple women who noticed changes in their menstrual cycle after receiving COVID vaccination.

Priyanka Gupta, a 33-year-old media professional who received Covaxin, noticed heavier than usual periods right after she received her COVID vaccine.

"Periods after receiving the vaccine were different. I almost never got cramps, but this time it was unbearable. So much that I had to pop in a pill for some respite. I still don't know if it was directly because of the vaccine, but severe cramping during periods happened right after the jab," she told Indiatimes.

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Many women, who were noticing irregular, severely painful periods, were hesitant to speak at first. But a flurry of social media posts from women experiencing erratic, heavier than usual periods, and severe cramps, prompted them to share their experiences.

Delhi-based Anamika also noticed spotting between periods after receiving her COVID vaccine shots.

"After my first Covishield jab, I noticed a change in my menstrual cycle. I noticed spotting between periods, heavier bleeding and cramps that would wake me up from sleep in the middle of the night. This isn't normal for me," Anamika told Indiatimes.

She also added that her periods have remained almost pain-free and spotting has never occurred before.

"But periods after both the jabs were extremely painful. Surprisingly, when I looked up online, I saw so many women who spoke about experiencing abnormal periods. But no one tells us about that. It's not even listed as one of the side-effects of vaccines."

"When you go to a vaccination centre, the doctor or the nurse typically warn you of side-effects such as fever, arm pain, body aches, but no one warns of side-effects such as erratic periods and severe pain. It simply shows that no study was conducted on the side-effects of vaccines that menstruating people could face. This is a huge gender data gap," said Anamika.

Divyani, who is in her 20s, and has received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, said she experienced a heavier period and more intense cramps after the second dose of vaccine.

"My period was heavier than normal, and it was a few days early. There was severe bloating and cramping, which given my regular cycles and fairly painless periods, was abnormal," said Divyani.

While these changes could be temporary, absence of data makes it worrying.

Based in Delhi, Dr Aqsa Shaikh says that thousands of menstruating people have complained of irregular periods after receiving the jab, but there¡¯s little scientific evidence linking the two.

¡°Scientific studies were conducted on menstruating women for the possible side-effects of vaccines. Only pregnant women and lactating women were left out from the initial vaccine trials and research. Thousands of healthcare workers, who were menstruating people, were also given the vaccine, and no such wide complaints were reported,¡± she told Indiatimes.

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Dr Aqsa says that such experiences are anecdotal, but such complications could be because of stress and anxiety after the vaccine shot.

There is no scientific evidence that links menstrual irregularities to the coronavirus vaccines.

So far, it remains unclear what the biological mechanisms behind these period changes might be and who might be more at risk of experiencing them.

Some experts say that cortisol, the so-called stress hormone, could affect periods and that the changes to menstrual cycles may not be in response to the COVID-19 vaccines but to increased stress levels.

The outpouring of interest and concern among people who menstruate directs to a blind spot in the way that clinical research on COVID vaccines was done.

Increasing reports are now subjected to clinical research to find out if, and how COVID vaccines affect menstruating people¡¯s periods.