Menstrual changes after COVID-19 vaccination and/or SARS-CoV-2 infection and their demographic, mood, and lifestyle determinants in Arab women of childbearing age, 2021

Abstract

BackgroundBy September 2, 2021, over 30,000 COVID-19-vaccinated females had reported menstrual changes to the MHRA's Yellow Card surveillance system. As a result, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is urging researchers to investigate the COVID-19 vaccine's effects on menstruation. Therefore, this study was conducted to explore the menstrual changes after COVID-19 vaccination and/or SARS-CoV-2 infection and their interrelations with demographic, mood, and lifestyle factors in Arab women of childbearing age (CBA).MethodologyA cross-sectional study was conducted during October 2021 using an Arabic validated and self-administrated questionnaire. In total, 1,254 Women of CBA in the Arabic Population (15–50 y) with regular menstrual cycles were randomly selected from five countries (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Libya, and Sudan).ResultsThe mean (SD) age of the 1,254 studied females was 29.6 (8.5) years old. In total, 634 (50%) were married, 1,104 (88.0%) had a University education or above, 1,064 (84.4%) lived in urban areas, and 573 (45.7%) had normal body weight. Moreover, 524 (41.8%) were COVID-19 cases and 98 women (18.7%) reported menstrual changes (MCs). The 1,044 (83.5%) vaccinated females reported 418 (38.5%) MCs after being vaccinated, and these MCs resolved in 194 women (55.1%) after more than 9 months. Statistically significant relationships were observed between the reported MCs and the following variables: age, marital status, level of education, nationality, residence, and BMI. MCs were reported at 293(80.6) after the 2nd dose, and were mainly reported after 482 (46.1) Pfizer, 254 (24.3) Astrazenica, and 92 (8.8) Senopharm.ConclusionMCs among women of CBA after COVID-19 infection and vaccination are prevalent and complex problems, and had many determinates.

Menstrual abnormalities after COVID‐19 vaccination in the Netherlands: A description of spontaneous and longitudinal patient‐reported data

“…A higher prevalence of menstrual abnormalities among Pfizer recipients compared to AstraZeneca recipients was also observed among Arab women (49.3 vs . 21.1%) 33 . The reporting rates based on the spontaneous reports from our study, however, showed that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had the highest reporting rates compared to the other vaccine brands: overall, 523.0 reports of menstrual abnormalities per 100 000 administered vaccines.…”

“…A higher prevalence of menstrual abnormalities among Pfizer recipients compared to AstraZeneca recipients was also observed among Arab women (49.3 vs. 21.1%). 33 The reporting rates based on the spontaneous reports from our study, however, showed Several studies have examined the effect of COVID-19 vaccination on the menstrual cycle (length) and/or menses. 25,34 Nazir et al summarized the methodological aspects and main outcomes of 14 studies in a systematic review, most of which had a cross-sectional design.…”

Effect of COVID‐19 vaccinations on menstrual cycle and postmenopausal bleeding among health care workers: A cross‐sectional study

“…in Arab countries, menstrual cycle changes after COVID-19 vaccinations were highly associated with sociodemographic variable such as age, marital status, level of education, nationality, and others. 28 On top of that, we found that women who had fibroids reported a higher incidence of menstrual cycle changes. In a systematic review conducted by Nazir et al, existing gynecological problems such as endometriosis, fibroids, and adenomyosis were linked to an increase in the incidence of menstrual changes following vaccination.…”

Long COVID – eine neue Herausforderung in der Medizin: Fokus auf Schwangerschaft und Stillzeit

“…Weitere Forschungsgruppen haben sich bereits mit diesem Thema auseinandergesetzt. Es stellte sich heraus, dass von 524 Frauen nach einer COVID-19-Erkrankung rund 19 % Veränderungen der Menstruation hatten, wobei knapp die Hälfte dieser aus Hypomenorrhö bestand [ 27 ]. In einer globalen Fragebogenstudie der Patient-Led Research Collaborative (einer Gruppe an Personen, die selbst an Long COVID leiden) zeigte sich bei circa 5 % der teilnehmenden Frauen eine Frühmenopause, während weitere 5 % von Zwischenblutungen berichteten, obwohl sie bereits nach der Menopause waren [ 28 ].…”