September 26, 2023 – Non-menstruating women were more prone to experience unexpected vaginal bleeding after being vaccinated against COVID-19, in line with a brand new study.
Researchers suspected it is perhaps related to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein within the vaccines. The study was published in Scientific advances.
After vaccinations became widely available, many ladies reported heavier than normal menstrual bleeding. Researchers on the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Oslo examined the information, particularly amongst women who didn't have periods, corresponding to those going through menopause or taking contraceptives.
The researchers used an ongoing population health survey called the Norwegian Mother-Father-Child Cohort Study. Nature reported. They examined greater than 21,000 responses from postmenopausal, perimenopausal and non-menstruating premenopausal women. Some took long-term hormonal contraceptives.
They learned that 252 postmenopausal women, 1,008 perimenopausal women, and 924 premenopausal women reported unexpected vaginal bleeding.
About half said the bleeding occurred inside 4 weeks of the primary or second vaccination, or each. The researchers found that the chance of bleeding increased three to 5 times in premenopausal and perimenopausal women and two to thrice in postmenopausal women.
Postmenopausal bleeding will likely be serious and is usually a sign of cancer, Nature wrote. “Knowing a patient's vaccination status could provide context for the occurrence of bleeding,” said Kate Clancy, a biological anthropologist on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.