Dozens of Canadian women say they feel "gaslit" after experiencing serious disruptions to their menstrual cycles following COVID-19 vaccines, and then being told by experts that their experiences are temporary and mild.."I ended up having my period constantly, and it would not go away. And after those two and a half months, it became really irregular," said 15-year-old Julie Leblanc. "I don't know what's going on with my body, and it's scary.".Recent medical studies have linked COVID-19 vaccines to "temporary" changes in women's menstrual cycles. A large-scale study published on July 15 by the University of Michigan found that 42% of women with regular menstrual cycles said they bled more heavily than usual after vaccination..The study claimed all brands of COVID vaccines could disrupt women's menstrual cycles, but claimed the changes were "temporary and short-lived without long-term consequences.".But when the Western Standard asked on Twitter to hear from women who experienced menstrual cycle issues after receiving COVID-19 vaccines, it found many of their experiences were not short-lived..Over 40 women reached out to tell stories of their menstrual cycles being disrupted for months, with some having irregular periods for up to a year post-vaccination. The women complained of heavy bleeding, passing large blood clots, and "excruciating" stomach pain..Five unvaccinated women also told the Western Standard their menstrual cycles were disrupted merely by being around vaccinated people. Experts have repeatedly said vaccine "shedding," which has been seen with other vaccines, can't happen with COVID-19 vaccines because they don't contain the live virus..Three women told the Western Standard their menstrual problems are so severe they are considering getting hysterectomies, while two women claimed they experienced miscarriages following vaccination. .Dr. Diane Francoeur, CEO of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said it's "no surprise" that women's immune systems could be "shaken up" following vaccination, which could lead to menstrual changes. But she claimed stress related to COVID could also be responsible for the issues women have been experiencing.."Unfortunately, if you have a bleeding problem, it will get worse if you are stressed. And for women, long COVID is really bad, which could also impact their menstrual cycles," she told the Western Standard.."I don't think we have enough data at this point, and that's why we need to keep looking," Francoeur said. "With COVID, the science is being written as time goes by. We are finding a lot of new things to assess and interpret.".The Western Standard chose three women to showcase for this feature. Their names have been hidden and changed to protect their identities..'I don't know what's going on with my body, and it's scary.'.After 15-year-old Leblanc received her second Pfizer dose, she had a two-and-a-half-month-long menstrual cycle.."So I would get it one month, and then it would end, and maybe I'd get it again two weeks later, and then it wouldn't come for another month and a half," the Nova Scotian said..Leblanc's irregular cycles were also accompanied by "unbearable" period cramps that made her throw up. "I never used to get cramps that bad," she said..When Leblanc's mom took her to a naturopathic doctor, they found her red blood cells were "all stuck together." The naturopath told Leblanc's mom she had almost quit several times due to the vaccine injuries she was seeing..In addition to Leblanc's menstrual problems, she now occasionally experiences an irregular heartbeat and difficulty breathing, which she fears could be vaccine-induced myocarditis. While her blood tests came back as normal, Leblanc said she still has "weird" moments where "my head will get foggy, my vision will blur, and my heart will just start beating really fast.".Leblanc had another "odd" experience that disturbed her. One morning, as Leblanc was getting ready for school, she blacked out and collapsed in the bathroom.."I lost my hearing, and I couldn't see anything. I crawled out of the bathroom and tried calling my dad's name. But I couldn't talk, and only noises were coming out. And I was shaking, almost like I was going to have a seizure.".After an eight-hour hospital wait, a nurse told Leblanc that her medical issues were due to not consuming enough food or water.."I'm a weightlifter and I track everything that goes through my body. I know if I'm getting enough food and drinking enough water. So when she kept saying that to me over and over again, it made me break down. Because no one believed me, and I knew it wasn't that," she said..Leblanc said her medical issues put her in a "very bad mental state," because she was in constant pain. "I didn't feel like doing anything. I tried to go to the gym to get my mind off it. I'd hang out with my brother. But it got to a point where I just wanted to lay in bed all day and not do anything," she said..Leblanc has seen improvements in her menstrual cycle since she started taking a combination of NAC, Quercetin, Vitamin D, Zinc, and Ivermectin. But she refuses to get the third vaccine, and said she doesn't understand why the federal government has talked about mandating boosters.."What it boils down to is, if I don't want to take another vaccine, I don't think I should have to. And I also don't know what's in it.".'I'm not even trying to be theatrical. It was extremely bad'.Natasha felt fine after receiving her first dose of Moderna, but when she got a Pfizer dose three weeks later, "that was when shit hit the fan.".The 40-year-old developed such bad anemia that she had to be hospitalized, and doctors told her she was close to needing a blood transfusion.."I mild and controlled anemia before the vaccine. But after this, I was constantly out of breath. I couldn't go for a walk around the block without being short of breath. It was a pretty harrowing experience," she said..Natasha also said her menstrual cycles started getting "extremely heavy," eventually culminating in blood clots "the size of baseballs" coming out every half an hour.."I'm not even trying to be theatrical. It was extremely bad," she said..Natasha said her doctor theorized that she was just going through menopause, but after 10 months of non-stop menstruating, her cycle finally returned to normal..The Toronto-native said she wouldn't be getting any more boosters, despite pressure from her friends and doctor. "If I have the right to terminate a pregnancy, I should also be able to decide that I don't want to get a vaccine. If you mandate it, that's not respecting my bodily autonomy.".Natasha said when she hears medical professionals and public health experts talk about changes to menstrual cycles being "temporary" and "minor," she feels "like I'm being gaslit."."It's like they are completely invalidating our experiences because they don't want any negative news to be emphasized in the media. Or maybe they don't want to admit they were wrong and are putting their hands over their ears," Natasha said..Natasha said after her experience with the COVID-19 vaccines, she is less willing to trust the "experts."."I don't claim to know more than doctors, but I was reading studies that said these menstrual issues could happen post-vaccination. So how are you telling me that it can't happen?" she said.."You're a doctor. Do you not read scientific literature? It's not like I'm going to Infowars to get this information." ."I am tired of being gaslit and tossed from specialist to specialist'.While Andrea was hesitant to get vaccinated, she needed it to to visit her husband's grandparents. When Andrea got her second vaccine dose, she could immediately tell the nurse had hit a nerve.."I knew right away, because after that my toes started tingling. So right away, I knew something was off," she said. "But at the time, I was eating healthy, training to run in a Manitoba marathon, and a busy mother, so a vaccine injury was the last thing on my mind.".The Manitoba native said after experiencing what felt like a 24-hour hangover, her health "went completely sideways." She had a 54-day menstrual cycle, followed by erratic periods.."[My cycle] would stop for a few days, and then it would come back again for like 10 days," she said..Andrea also experienced severe swelling and fluid retention in her legs. "Fast forward to Halloween, and I couldn't walk. I did five houses trick-or-treating with my daughter and I was done. And the walk-in doctor gave me water pills, which did absolutely nothing," she said..To make matters worse, Andrea later learned that she had been pregnant for 12 weeks and that the fetus had spontaneously aborted itself. ."I have since recovered mentally and physically from this, but I continue to suffer from almost debilitating menstrual issues to this day," she said. "I'm 34 years old, and I'm considering getting a hysterectomy because I'm tired of going through this stuff.".Andrea's doctor mentioned seeing an increase in miscarriages since the vaccine rollout. And Andrea said she has had conversations with other pregnant women that have experienced issues during birth.."I believe the vaccines are impacting women's pregnancies. I'm seeing women around me having babies that are as tiny as dolls. And these are women that are triple vaccinated. And I'm saying, 'is there nothing wrong with this picture? Should you be having a five-and-a-half-pound baby?'".Health Canada claims there has been no increase in pregnancy losses or stillbirths due to COVID-19 vaccines..Andrea said getting a formal medical diagnosis has been "nearly impossible," especially since many medical specialists refuse to admit that her symptoms could be due to the COVID vaccine. ."I am tired of being gaslighted, tossed from specialist to specialist, and being looked at like, 'like you're a conspiracy theorist and you're an anti-vaxxer.' That's not who I am. But I didn't ask for this. We got vaccinated because otherwise we wouldn't have been able to travel and see our loved ones," she said.."Those of us that are vaccine-injured, we're going to have to take matters into our own hands until they start paying attention to us."
