<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Some Covid vaccines may cause heavy menstrual bleeding, specialists at the European Medicines Agency (EMA) warned Friday, recommending that this be added to the list of potential side effects.</b></span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">"Cases of heavy menstrual bleeding have been reported after the first, second and booster doses of Comirnaty (Pfizer) and Spikevax (Moderna)," said a statement from the agency, citing its drugs safety committee.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Having reviewed the data, they concluded that "there is at least a reasonable possibility that the occurrence of heavy menstrual bleeding is causally associated with these vaccines".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They thus recommended that this be added to the product information of the two mRNA Covid-19 vaccines.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"There is no evidence to suggest the menstrual disorders experienced by some people have any impact on reproduction and fertility," the EMA statement added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The safety committee also stressed that "the benefits of these vaccines greatly outweigh the risks".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The instances of heavy menstrual bleeding have been monitored at both national and European level since the first reports appeared among vaccinated women.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">France's National Medicine Safety Agency (ANSM) started interviewing women about the issue in July, passing their findings to the EMA.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So far, however, researchers have not established a causal connection beyond any doubt.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The reported issues mainly concern changes to the length and intensity of the menstrual bleeding, which are sometimes more painful.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">While in most cases the symptoms experienced were "not serious" and transitory, some women experienced the symptoms for up to six months, the ANSM reported.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The French agency is continuing to research the issue. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>