COVID Vaccine and Menstrual Cycle Changes
If you have had the COVID vaccine and are having changes to your menstrual cycle, you are not alone. This article on National Public Radio called Why Reports Of Menstrual Changes After COVID Vaccine Are Tough To Study. You know your body best, so if you feel the vaccine has had an impact on you and in particular your menstrual cycle, talk to your doctor or keep track of it. You can make notations if you use a period tracking app, such as Clue, Flo, Magic Girl, My Flo or Cycles. It is a good idea to note any changes or concerns so that you can remember to talk to a professional about it.
This article talks about how having COVID might impact your menstrual cycle. Continue reading Are there other reasons your period may be different after an illness? to discover how any illness may impact your cycle. The stress of the pandemic may also impact your cycle. Any changes or concerns can be tracked on the above mentioned apps or on a planner. This is an older article, and talks about a few people that are looking into how COVID and the COVID vaccine may be impacting periods.
In the above article Dr. Tara Scott has this quote, which is important, ‘suggested 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.‘ See this article for more information about the phases of the menstrual cycle. From the article: The four phases of the menstrual cycle are menstruation, the follicular phase, ovulation and the luteal phase. Please see a healthcare professional if you have questions about any of the above information. If you do not have one or do not have access to one, please see the additional resources below.