We’re a collective of concerned physicians, scientists, and citizens on a mission to find answers we can share and demand investigation.
We teamed up with General Genomics to survey the women of the world and turn their stories into data that can be studied.
Key Information About the Survey: You are being asked to participate in a voluntary research study. The purpose of this study is to understand the menstrual experiences of women who have been seeing irregularities and the possible effects of the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. Participating in this study will involve completing a secure online survey which takes about 15-20 minutes. Risks related to this research include the potential to feel uncomfortable answering questions about your body and health. Benefits related to this research include being able to share your experiences and contribute to an often-overlooked area of health research.
Purpose of the study: This research study is about your experiences with your period or other menstrual bleeding (such as “spotting”) and associated symptoms out of the ordinary since the beginning of the distribution of a vaccine for COVID-19. Side effects are a common and even important element of the vaccine response, and bleeding patterns can be an important way to understand how our immune systems are activated.
Procedures to be followed: If you meet our inclusion criteria below and agree to participate, you will be asked questions about your menstrual cycle, COVID-19 vaccination(s), reproductive health, and general health through a secure online survey.
Inclusion criteria:
- People who currently have menstrual cycles
- People who have had menstrual cycles in the past (e.g., perimenopausal, menopausal, using gender affirming hormones, using hormonal contraceptives, lactating, pregnant)
- Have not received any doses of any COVID-19 vaccines
- Have received any doses of any COVID-19 vaccines
- Age 18+
The survey will ask about the timing of your symptoms, your menstrual cycles, and your menstrual period, so please make sure you have that information available while you take the survey. The survey will also ask about your reproductive history and general health. The survey will take approximately 15-20 minutes, and the time largely depends on how much detail you choose to provide about your experiences. You can skip or choose not to answer a question at any time.
The online survey will be administered through General Genomics Inc., an independent, HIPAA compliant, secure survey management application. Your responses will be recorded and stored in Curo46, and only the research team has access to this data. This data will be kept indefinitely. The contents of the survey will be analyzed by the researchers and used to better understand possible relationships between bleeding patterns and COVID-19 vaccine administration.
The researchers will never share information that might identify a participant. The de-identified data, including anonymized quotes, may be used in academic research papers, published articles, and conference presentations. Your de-identified information may be used for future research without additional informed consent.
Discomfort and Risks: The discomforts and risks to you are minimal. The survey will ask you questions about your personal experiences, possible reproductive experiences such as pregnancy, and your body. This may be uncomfortable for people who have experienced pregnancy loss. We also want to reiterate that this survey inquires about menstrual experiences, which may cause discomfort for some queer, trans, and/or nonbinary participants. You have the right to refuse to answer any question at any time. You have the right to stop participating at any time while taking the survey and the right to exit the survey at any point while taking it.
Benefits: You will not receive any direct benefit from participating in this research, however some participants may experience positive feelings from sharing information or concerns about menstruation that are usually kept private.
Statement of Confidentiality: In general, we will not tell anyone any information about you. When this research is discussed or published, no one will know that you were in the study.
Compensation: Participants will not be compensated for their participation.
Cost of participating: There are no costs associated with participating in this research.