This seems like modestly important information that every woman — excuse me, pErSoN wHo MeNsTrUaTeS — should be very well aware of:
An analysis published Friday in the journal Science Advances found that 42% of people [all the sics; "women"] with regular menstrual cycles said they bled more heavily than usual after vaccination. Meanwhile, 44% reported no change and around 14% reported a lighter period. Among nonmenstruating people — those post-menopause or who use certain long-term contraceptives, for example — the study suggests many experienced breakthrough or unexpected bleeding after their Covid shots.
The survey included over 39,000 people 18 to 80 years old who were fully vaccinated and had not contracted Covid. The study authors cautioned, though, that the percentages do not necessarily represent the rate of menstrual changes in the general population, since people who observed a difference were more likely to participate. The survey's aim was simply to provide evidence for future studies, not to establish cause and effect.
That last line there:
The survey's aim was simply to provide evidence for future studies, not to establish cause and effect.
Has me like:
I gotta say this whole thing sounds pretty "cause and effect" to me. Scientists, meanwhile, are scrambling to do damage control here; the researchers in their paper themselves argue that "changes to menstrual bleeding are not uncommon or dangerous," while one scientist interviewed by NBC News claimed:
Perhaps ... if Covid-19 vaccine trials had asked about menstruation, people would not have been surprised — or frightened — by this unexpected side effect.
It might be worth it to send every one of these researchers the same gif:
At the very least, this should allow women to make better-informed choices about the vaccine.
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