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Review
. 2022 Sep-Dec:23:S77-S87.
doi: 10.1016/j.vacun.2022.07.001. Epub 2022 Jul 19.

Menstrual abnormalities after COVID-19 vaccines: A systematic review

Maheen Nazir  1 , Shumaila Asghar  1 , Muhammad Ali Rathore  2 , Asima Shahzad  3 , Anum Shahid  4 , Alishba Ashraf Khan  1 , Asmara Malik  5 , Tehniat Fakhar  6 , Hafsa Kausar  6 , Jahanzeb Malik  7
Affiliations
Review

Menstrual abnormalities after COVID-19 vaccines: A systematic review

Maheen Nazir et al. Vacunas. 2022 Sep-Dec.

Abstract
in English, Spanish

The objective of this systematic review is to give a comprehensive interpretation of menstrual cycle changes after the COVID-19 vaccination. Additionally, it is imperative to assess reports of menstrual changes following vaccination to dispel concerns that COVID-19 vaccines hinder the likelihood of pregnancy in the long run. A literature review was conducted using digital databases to systematically identify the studies reporting any menstrual abnormalities after the COVID-19 vaccine. Detailed patient-level study characteristics including the type of study, sample size, administered vaccines, and menstrual abnormalities were abstracted. A total of 78 138 vaccinated females were included in this review from 14 studies. Of these, 39 759 (52.05%) had some form of a menstrual problem after vaccination. Due to the lack of published research articles, preprints were also included in this review. Menorrhagia, metrorrhagia, and polymenorrhea were the most commonly observed problems and the overall study-level rate of menstrual abnormality ranged from 0.83% to 90.9%. Age, history of pregnancy, systemic side-effects of COVID-19, smoking, and second dose of COVID-19 vaccine were predictors of menstrual problems after vaccination.

Alteraciones menstruales tras la vacunación contra la COVID-19: revisión sistemática Resumen El objetivo de esta revisión sistemática es aportar una interpretación amplia sobre los cambios de los ciclos menstruales tras la vacunación contra la COVID-19. Además, es imperativo evaluar los informes sobre los cambios menstruales tras la vacunación, para disipar preocupaciones en cuanto a que las vacunas contra la COVID-19 dificultan la probabilidad de embarazo a largo plazo. Se realizó una revisión de la literatura utilizando bases de datos digitales para identificar sistemáticamente los estudios que reportan cualquier alteración menstrual tras la vacuna contra la COVID-19. Se resumieron las características detalladas del estudio al nivel del paciente, incluyendo tipo de estudio, tamaño de la muestra, vacunas administradas, y alteraciones menstruales. Se incluyó en la revisión a un total de 78 138 mujeres vacunadas, procedentes de 14 estudios. De ellas, 39 759 (52,05%) tuvieron algún tipo de problema menstrual tras la vacunación. Debido a la falta de artículos de investigación publicados, también se incluyeron preimpresos en esta revisión. Menorragia, metrorragia, y polimenorrea fueron los problemas más comúnmente observados, oscilando la tasa global de alteraciones menstruales a nivel de estudios entre el 0,83 y el 90,9%. La edad, los antecedentes de embarazos, los efectos secundarios sistémicos de la COVID-19, el tabaquismo y la segunda dosis de la vacuna contra la COVID-19 fueron factores predictivos de problemas menstruales tras la vacunación.

Keywords: Dysmenorrhea; Gynecology; Menorrhagia; Pandemic; SARS-COV-2.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA flowchart.
Supplementary Fig. S1
Supplementary Fig. S1
Risk of bias assessment in observational studies by Newcastle-Ottawa scale
Supplementary Fig. S2
Supplementary Fig. S2
Summary plot
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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