The effect of covid vaccination on menstruation and attitude to the vaccine among Indian women – Results of a prospective survey

Abstract

: SARS COV-2 vaccination was a global effort to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. During the vaccination drive, several concerns were raised about the potential adverse effects of the Covid-19 vaccines, which included the impact on menstruation and fertility in women. This study aimed to assess experiences of Indian Women with covid vaccination and its effects on their menstruation. A prospective web-based survey was conducted targeting women aged 18years and above and who had taken atleast one dose of the covid vaccine. : The total number of responses received were 363. After excluding those with missing details, 342 respondents were included in the analysis. The mean age of the participants was 38.02 ± 7.8 years. 68.1% of the respondents (233/342) reported no change in the periodicity of their cycles post vaccination and 79.5% (272/342) reported no change in the menstrual flow. Forty three women (12.6%) reported experiencing heavy flow post vaccination. In this group which experienced heavy menses, 81.5% (35/43) reported that the heavy menses was self-limiting and did not require any treatment. 9.3% (4/43) of these symptomatic women recorded that short term treatment was sought. Another 9.3% of women reported persisting menstrual changes, at the time of the survey, despite taking prescribed treatment. It was also noted that the changes in menstrual cycles were significantly more in vaccinated nulliparous women.: Covid vaccination appears to have no or little impact on menstrual cycles in two-thirds of the women taking the vaccine. 31.9% of the women in the survey reported some change in their menstrual timing or flow. Most changes were self -limiting. About 1% (4/342) may have longer standing menstrual impact, requiring treatment.