Reports of menstrual cycle changes after COVID vaccine highlight issues with clinical trials
http://abc7ny.com/covid-vaccine-menstrual-cycle-clinical-trials-and-side-effects-women/10559703
Friday, April 30, 2021
SAN FRANCISCO -- On Monday, our sister station KGO-TV reported that some women are noticing changes in their menstrual cycles after getting COVID-19 vaccines.
Since then, hundreds of people have commented on the report, and women continue to express concern about long and heavy periods and changes in cycle timing.
A hematologist in Southern California reached out to KGO with a possible explanation and advice.
"Inflammatory reaction has been noticed with the COVID vaccine. We know that because many, including myself after the second vaccine, developed some mild flu like symptoms," said Dr. Akshat Jain, a hematologist at Loma Linda University School of Medicine.
Dr. Jain specializes in bleeding disorders in adolescent women and explained that inflammatory cells triggered by the vaccine could affect hormones.
"That inflammation, has a potential or potentially can modulate estrogen response, which could be the link between certain women having heavy periods after the vaccine," she explained.
Dr. Jain recommends that women experiencing heavy bleeding see their doctor for a complete blood count and estrogen test.
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"There's a long history of us not doing a great job at studying women in research studies because of some of this complexity," said University of California San Francisco OBGYN, Dr. Heather Huddleston, who specializes in reproductive endocrinology.
Dr. Huddleston wishes the vaccine makers had collected data about menstrual cycles during the randomized trials.
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( Some was skipped. Entire article is at the link. Zim.)