By Bhavana KunkalikarMar 30 2023Reviewed by Lily Ramsey, LLM In a recent study published in the iScience journal, researchers examined the potential impact of coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination and disease on changes in the menstrual cycle.
However, the individual impact of each factor on alterations in the menstrual cycle has not been extensively researched, especially before the emergence of media coverage on the subject. The study involved a comparison of menstrual cycle parameters among four distinct groups, namely: individuals who received one or two doses of the vaccine but had no prior history of COVID-19; individuals who had previously been diagnosed with COVID-19 and were subsequently vaccinated; individuals who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 but not vaccinated; and individuals who had neither received the vaccine nor been diagnosed with COVID-19 during the survey.
The team noted that COVID-19 vaccination did not alter the menstrual cycles of 82% of the eligible participants. Almost 6.2% of the participants reported experiencing greater disruption, whereas 1.6% reported a lesser degree of disruption. This implied that the sole administration of vaccination does not correlate with changes in menstrual cycle frequency. The results of the multivariable analyses indicated that the incidence of menstrual cycle alterations after COVID-19 vaccination was reduced by 33% among individuals who used combined contraceptives.
The predominant outcome among all participant groups is the reporting of regular menstrual cycles during the survey period, followed by highly and then somewhat irregular cycles. Also, there was no association between COVID-19 infection and vaccination history and the relative risks of experiencing irregular versus regular cycles.