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Story time! On Monday, I got my second shot of the Pfizer vaccine. Before my appointment, I was scrolling through Twitter that morning & glanced at a tweet that said something about the vaccine + periods. Didn& #39;t read it but it did register, as mine started that day. /1
Had another great experience getting my shot at DeVos Place - kudos to @SpectrumHealth & all the volunteers making the process run so smoothly. Got home and had of the anticipated zero side effects except a sore arm & a little tiredness. Or so I thought? /2
Later on, I noticed my period was really heavy. I visited my OB/GYN about irregular / heavy periods about a year ago; she said it was likely perimenopause. (I& #39;m in my mid-40s.) However, in the year+ since, my periods have been pretty regular, light, and short (2-3 days). /3
I wasn& #39;t worried & didn& #39;t connect it to the vaccine. I did think it was a little weird considering it had been so long since I& #39;d had a heavy period. Then I read a piece about anti-vaxxers connecting miscarriages with the vaccine. (Fact check - FALSE: https://www.bbc.com/news/56680399 )">https://www.bbc.com/news/5668... 4/
My period ended up being heavier & a day longer than usual, not much out of the ordinary. But it got me to thinking about how so many people already mistrust vaccines - some for legitimate reasons (medical racism) & some for false conspiracies (connections to autism). /5
It turns out there isn& #39;t data on whether the COVID vaccine impacts periods. Why? Maybe there weren& #39;t any adverse effects to track. Or maybe it isn& #39;t something that researchers tracked at all. /6 https://slate.com/technology/2021/04/covid-vaccines-periods-menstruation-side-effects.html">https://slate.com/technolog...
That& #39;s why the interview with Dr. Jen Gunter that I posted in that last tweet resonated with me. Personally, a heavy period one time isn& #39;t a huge deal. But wouldn& #39;t it be useful to know that might happen if it is indeed a potential side effect? /7
Gender bias already means women are underrepresented in clinical trials. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/we-dont-have-enough-women-in-clinical-trials-why-thats-a-problem">https://www.healthline.com/health-ne... /8
The history of gynecology has deep ties to anti-Blackness. https://news.berkeley.edu/2020/02/17/historian-uncovers-gynecologys-brutal-roots-in-slavery/">https://news.berkeley.edu/2020/02/1... /9
It& #39;s not just history; ICE detainees were given hysterectomies without their knowledge and against their wills. https://www.npr.org/2020/09/16/913398383/whistleblower-alleges-medical-neglect-questionable-hysterectomies-of-ice-detaine">https://www.npr.org/2020/09/1... /10
This thread broke here but picks up (wrongly numbered) here: https://twitter.com/elozanobuhl/status/1385631385482940420">https://twitter.com/elozanobu...
