Covid-19 Vaccines and the Menstrual Cycle

Many patients (especially those trying to conceive) have expressed concern about the potential impact of Covid-19 vaccines and the menstrual cycle. Among the questions we have been receiving from patients is “does the Covid vaccine change the timing of the menstrual cycle?” A recent study of close to 20,000 patients worldwide found that, yes, vaccination for Covid-19 is associated with a small (average of one day), temporary delay in the arrival of the patient’s next period. Vaccinated patients experienced no change in the number of days of menstrual bleeding following vaccination, however. These results were consistent across all vaccine types.

These findings are interesting and reassuring. We can now counsel patients that they may experience a small temporary delay in the arrival of their next period following vaccination for Covid-19. In most cases, this shift resolves after a single cycle and patients will go back to their normal, pre-vaccination menstrual cycle pattern.

IVF and the COVID-19 Vaccine

Some patients who are about to begin an IVF cycle have expressed concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine and whether it will impact their chances of becoming pregnant. However, the findings of many studies over the last couple of years have all come to the conclusion that IVF and COVID-19 vaccines do not have a negative effect on each other.