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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'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'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't worried & didn't connect it to the vaccine. I did think it was a little weird considering it had been so long since I'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 ) 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't data on whether the COVID vaccine impacts periods. Why? Maybe there weren't any adverse effects to track. Or maybe it isn't something that researchers tracked at all. /6 https://slate.com/technology/2021/04/covid-vaccines-periods-menstruation-side-effects.html
That'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't a huge deal. But wouldn'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 /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/ /9
It'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 /10
This thread broke here but picks up (wrongly numbered) here: https://twitter.com/elozanobuhl/status/1385631385482940420
