Impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination on menstrual bleeding quantity: An observational cohort study
Authors
Darney, Blair GBoniface, Emily R
Van Lamsweerde, Agathe
Han, Leo
Matteson, Kristen A
Cameron, Sharon
Male, Victoria
Acuna, Juan
Benhar, Eleonora
Pearson, Jack T
Edelman, Alison
UMass Chan Affiliations
Obstetrics and GynecologyDocument Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2023-04-10
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Objective: To assess whether coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination impacts menstrual bleeding quantity. Design: Retrospective cohort. Setting: Five global regions. Population: Vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals with regular menstrual cycles using the digital fertility-awareness application Natural Cycles°. Methods: We used prospectively collected menstrual cycle data, multivariable longitudinal Poisson generalised estimating equation (GEE) models and multivariable multinomial logistic regression models to calculate the adjusted difference between vaccination groups. All regression models were adjusted for confounding factors. Main outcome measures: The mean number of heavy bleeding days (fewer, no change or more) and changes in bleeding quantity (less, no change or more) at three time points (first dose, second dose and post-exposure menses). Results: We included 9555 individuals (7401 vaccinated and 2154 unvaccinated). About two-thirds of individuals reported no change in the number of heavy bleeding days, regardless of vaccination status. After adjusting for confounding factors, there were no significant differences in the number of heavy bleeding days by vaccination status. A larger proportion of vaccinated individuals experienced an increase in total bleeding quantity (34.5% unvaccinated, 38.4% vaccinated; adjusted difference 4.0%, 99.2% CI 0.7%-7.2%). This translates to an estimated 40 additional people per 1000 individuals with normal menstrual cycles who experience a greater total bleeding quantity following the first vaccine dose' suffice. Differences resolved in the cycle post-exposure. Conclusions: A small increase in the probability of greater total bleeding quantity occurred following the first COVID-19 vaccine dose, which resolved in the cycle after the post-vaccination cycle. The total number of heavy bleeding days did not differ by vaccination status. Our findings can reassure the public that any changes are small and transient.Source
Darney BG, Boniface ER, Van Lamsweerde A, Han L, Matteson KA, Cameron S, Male V, Acuna J, Benhar E, Pearson JT, Edelman A. Impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination on menstrual bleeding quantity: An observational cohort study. BJOG. 2023 Jun;130(7):803-812. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.17471. Epub 2023 Apr 10. PMID: 37035899.DOI
10.1111/1471-0528.17471Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/52072PubMed ID
37035899Rights
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. © 2023 The Authors.; Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 InternationalDistribution License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1111/1471-0528.17471
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. © 2023 The Authors.