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Dysmenorrhea, intermenstrual bleeding, menstrual flow volume changes, and irregularities following COVID-19 vaccination and the association with vaccine skepticism: A retrospective observational study

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 vaccines have provided fertile ground for research, especially with the unprecedented spread of misinformation about this disease and its vaccines. Among women, one of the most frequently reported side effects of the vaccine has been menstrual disturbance. OBJECTIVE: To investig...

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Autores principales: Khan, Ghadeer A, Althubaiti, Alaa, Alshrif, Amal, Alsayed, Zahra, Jifree, Hatim
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: SAGE Publications 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10652665/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37966030
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/17455057231210094
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author Khan, Ghadeer A
Althubaiti, Alaa
Alshrif, Amal
Alsayed, Zahra
Jifree, Hatim
author_facet Khan, Ghadeer A
Althubaiti, Alaa
Alshrif, Amal
Alsayed, Zahra
Jifree, Hatim
author_sort Khan, Ghadeer A
collection PubMed
description BACKGROUND: COVID-19 vaccines have provided fertile ground for research, especially with the unprecedented spread of misinformation about this disease and its vaccines. Among women, one of the most frequently reported side effects of the vaccine has been menstrual disturbance. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the perceived impact of COVID-19 vaccines on the menstrual cycle. In addition, the research seeks to identify factors that could predispose certain individuals to experience these effects, thereby contributing to a deeper understanding of the interplay between vaccines and menstrual health. DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective observational cross-sectional study. METHODS: Any woman of menstruating age who received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and currently resides in Saudi Arabia was invited to complete an online questionnaire. The questionnaire compared menstruation characteristics—regularity, volume, intermenstrual bleeding, and dysmenorrhea—before and after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, taking into consideration possible predisposing factors such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, contraceptives, or period-blocking pills. RESULTS: Women without polycystic ovarian syndrome experienced less change in dysmenorrhea post-vaccine compared to those with polycystic ovarian syndrome (23.88% versus 37.78%, p = 0.045). Women using hormonal contraceptives were about two times more likely to experience changes in volume compared to those not using contraceptives (odds ratio = 2.09, 95% confidence interval = 1.23–3.57, p = 0.006). COVID-19 vaccine skeptics were about three times more likely to perceive changes in regularity post-vaccine compared to non-skeptics (odds ratio = 2.96, 95% confidence interval = 1.79–4.90, p < 0.001). They were also three times more likely to perceive changes in volume post-vaccine (odds ratio = 3.04, 95% confidence interval = 1.95–4.74, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest significant associations between COVID-19 skepticism, the use of hormonal contraceptives, and the reported post-vaccine menstrual disturbances. This underscores the importance of public education efforts aimed at dispelling misinformation and addressing controversies related to these vaccines.
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spelling pubmed-106526652023-11-15 Dysmenorrhea, intermenstrual bleeding, menstrual flow volume changes, and irregularities following COVID-19 vaccination and the association with vaccine skepticism: A retrospective observational study Khan, Ghadeer A Althubaiti, Alaa Alshrif, Amal Alsayed, Zahra Jifree, Hatim Womens Health (Lond) Improving Menstrual Health throughout the Reproductive Life Course BACKGROUND: COVID-19 vaccines have provided fertile ground for research, especially with the unprecedented spread of misinformation about this disease and its vaccines. Among women, one of the most frequently reported side effects of the vaccine has been menstrual disturbance. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the perceived impact of COVID-19 vaccines on the menstrual cycle. In addition, the research seeks to identify factors that could predispose certain individuals to experience these effects, thereby contributing to a deeper understanding of the interplay between vaccines and menstrual health. DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective observational cross-sectional study. METHODS: Any woman of menstruating age who received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and currently resides in Saudi Arabia was invited to complete an online questionnaire. The questionnaire compared menstruation characteristics—regularity, volume, intermenstrual bleeding, and dysmenorrhea—before and after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, taking into consideration possible predisposing factors such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, contraceptives, or period-blocking pills. RESULTS: Women without polycystic ovarian syndrome experienced less change in dysmenorrhea post-vaccine compared to those with polycystic ovarian syndrome (23.88% versus 37.78%, p = 0.045). Women using hormonal contraceptives were about two times more likely to experience changes in volume compared to those not using contraceptives (odds ratio = 2.09, 95% confidence interval = 1.23–3.57, p = 0.006). COVID-19 vaccine skeptics were about three times more likely to perceive changes in regularity post-vaccine compared to non-skeptics (odds ratio = 2.96, 95% confidence interval = 1.79–4.90, p < 0.001). They were also three times more likely to perceive changes in volume post-vaccine (odds ratio = 3.04, 95% confidence interval = 1.95–4.74, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest significant associations between COVID-19 skepticism, the use of hormonal contraceptives, and the reported post-vaccine menstrual disturbances. This underscores the importance of public education efforts aimed at dispelling misinformation and addressing controversies related to these vaccines. SAGE Publications 2023-11-15 /pmc/articles/PMC10652665/ /pubmed/37966030 http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/17455057231210094 Text en © The Author(s) 2023 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
spellingShingle Improving Menstrual Health throughout the Reproductive Life Course
Khan, Ghadeer A
Althubaiti, Alaa
Alshrif, Amal
Alsayed, Zahra
Jifree, Hatim
Dysmenorrhea, intermenstrual bleeding, menstrual flow volume changes, and irregularities following COVID-19 vaccination and the association with vaccine skepticism: A retrospective observational study
title Dysmenorrhea, intermenstrual bleeding, menstrual flow volume changes, and irregularities following COVID-19 vaccination and the association with vaccine skepticism: A retrospective observational study
title_full Dysmenorrhea, intermenstrual bleeding, menstrual flow volume changes, and irregularities following COVID-19 vaccination and the association with vaccine skepticism: A retrospective observational study
title_fullStr Dysmenorrhea, intermenstrual bleeding, menstrual flow volume changes, and irregularities following COVID-19 vaccination and the association with vaccine skepticism: A retrospective observational study
title_full_unstemmed Dysmenorrhea, intermenstrual bleeding, menstrual flow volume changes, and irregularities following COVID-19 vaccination and the association with vaccine skepticism: A retrospective observational study
title_short Dysmenorrhea, intermenstrual bleeding, menstrual flow volume changes, and irregularities following COVID-19 vaccination and the association with vaccine skepticism: A retrospective observational study
title_sort dysmenorrhea, intermenstrual bleeding, menstrual flow volume changes, and irregularities following covid-19 vaccination and the association with vaccine skepticism: a retrospective observational study
topic Improving Menstrual Health throughout the Reproductive Life Course
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10652665/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37966030
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/17455057231210094
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