People who receive a COVID-19 vaccine during the first half of the menstrual cycle are more likely to experience a small, temporary increase in cycle length than those vaccinated during the second half, suggests an NICHD-funded study. By providing additional information about what to expect after a COVID-19 vaccine, the findings may help ease fears and anxiety around vaccination.
News
NICHD issues News Releases and Media Advisories to the news media. Spotlight and Research Feature articles explain NICHD research findings and public health issues to the general public. An Item of Interest is a short announcement of relevant information, such as a notable staff change.
Science Update: Preterm infants protected by maternal COVID-19 vaccination, NIH-funded study suggests
Preterm infants born to people who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 had roughly the same levels of antibodies to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 as term infants born to vaccinated people, allaying concerns that fewer antibodies might pass to preterm infants.
Science Update: Widespread COVID-19 vaccination likely halted spike in preterm birth, NIH-funded analysis suggests
By late 2022, widespread COVID-19 vaccination of pregnant people likely halted a spike in the preterm birth rate that began at the start of the pandemic, suggests a new study. The findings underscore the need for pregnant people to keep current on COVID-19 vaccination.
Science Update: NIH-funded study finds no link between preconception COVID-19 vaccination and miscarriage risk
Among more than 1,800 women planning a pregnancy, those who received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine before getting pregnant were no more likely to miscarry than those who were unvaccinated. The study also found no increased miscarriage risk among roughly 1,500 couples in which the male partner was vaccinated before trying to conceive.
Science Update: Slight menstrual cycle length increase seen with SARS-CoV-2 infection, NIH-funded study suggests
Individuals with COVID-19 may experience a slight increase in menstrual cycle length, comparable to the menstrual cycle increase seen among those who received a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The study authors stressed that the increase was small and temporary.
Science Update: Antiviral drug TEMPOL targets multiple SARS-CoV-2 proteins
The experimental drug TEMPOL prevents viral replication by targeting the SARS-CoV-2 helicase, in addition to the virus’ replicase, according to a new NICHD study.
Science Update: NIH-funded study finds no effects of COVID-19 vaccine on menstrual cycle regularity, bleed length, or menstrual pain
Premenopausal females who were vaccinated for COVID-19 were no more likely to report irregular menstrual cycles, heavier bleeds or menstrual pain than a similar group of unvaccinated women, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. However, consistent with several previous studies, participants reported a small increase in cycle length of roughly one day following injection.
Item of Interest: New policies needed for maternal health care among incarcerated people with COVID-19, according to NICHD-funded researchers
The health of pregnant individuals and new mothers in the nation’s prisons should be prioritized to avoid future public health crises from COVID-19, according to an analysis by NICHD-funded investigators. Recommended policy changes include early release, when possible, because pregnant people are at high risk from COVID-19, and prisons are not well-equipped to provide the necessary medical care. Moreover, prisons should promote COVID-19 vaccination and develop targeted messages for this population to counteract vaccine misinformation.
Science Update: Cellulose gel may help prevent spread of SARS-CoV-2, NIH study suggests
A gel made from the seeds of a South American palm tree entraps SARS-CoV-2 and the protein the virus uses to enter cells, preventing the virus from infecting cells in laboratory cultures, a National Institutes of Health study has found. The findings raise the possibility of future studies to determine if the gel could be incorporated into masks and filters to reduce airborne spread of SARS-CoV-2.
Media Advisory: Biomarker pattern found in kids with COVID 19-linked inflammatory syndrome
Children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C)—a rare condition linked with the virus that causes COVID-19—have biochemical indicators of cell injury and cell death that are distinct from other children with COVID-19, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Science Update: Children born to women with COVID-19 could be at risk for heart disease, diabetes in later life, NIH-funded study suggests
Infants born in 2020 through mid-2021 to women with COVID-19 weighed less at birth, but grew at a faster rate than a comparable group born to women who did not have COVID-19, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Previous studies have found that preterm infants and other infants who are small or underweight at birth and who undergo catch-up growth in the first year are at higher risk for later life obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes, compared to infants born at normal weight. The authors called for additional studies of infants whose mothers had COVID-19 during pregnancy to learn if they have increased health risks later in life.
Science Update: Women report small, temporary increase in menstrual flow after COVID-19 vaccination, NIH-funded study suggests
Compared to unvaccinated women, women vaccinated for COVID-19 have a slightly higher risk of a heavier period after vaccination, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. However, flow returns to normal in the next menstrual period.
Science Update: Symptoms of MIS-C lessened during the pandemic, but still serious, NIH-funded study suggests
Serious complications from a rare childhood condition linked to COVID-19 infection appear to have decreased as SARS-CoV-2 evolved from 2020 to 2022, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The condition, called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), inflames different body parts, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. The authors noted, however, that while the proportion of those with severe complications has dropped, 37% of children hospitalized with MIS-C needed intensive care.
Release: NIH funds eight studies to advance rapid diagnosis of COVID-19-related inflammatory syndrome in children
The National Institutes of Health has awarded eight research grants to refine new technologies for early diagnosis of severe illnesses resulting from SARS-CoV-2 infection in children. The new awards follow grants issued in 2020 to foster methods for diagnosing children at high risk for Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), a rare, severe and sometimes fatal after-effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection or exposure in children.
Director's Corner: Reflecting on NICHD’s 60th Anniversary Year
Research conducted at NICHD and at NICHD-funded institutions continues to bring us closer to fulfilling our vision of ensuring healthy pregnancies, healthy children, and healthy and optimal lives.
Selected NICHD Research Advances of 2022
Read about NICHD’s research findings and activities from 2022.
Media Advisory: No increase in risk of serious pregnancy complications during early pandemic, NIH-funded study suggests
Compared to giving birth in 2019, giving birth in 2020 during the early stages of the pandemic was not associated with a higher risk of maternal death or a serious complication of pregnancy, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Release: Study confirms link between COVID-19 vaccination and temporary increase in menstrual cycle length
A large international study has confirmed the findings of a previous U.S. study that linked COVID-19 vaccination with an average increase in menstrual cycle length of less than one day. The increase was not associated with any change in the number of days of menses (days of bleeding). Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the new study included data from nearly 20,000 people from Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Europe and other parts of the world who received any of nine different vaccines. For most study participants, the increase resolved in the cycle following vaccination.
Science Update: Pre-existing distress may increase risk for long COVID, NIH-funded study suggests
Psychological distress before COVID-19 infection—feeling stressed, depressed, anxious, worried, or lonely—may raise the risk for long COVID, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Science Update: Pregnancy-associated homicides on the rise in the United States, suggests NICHD-funded study
U.S. rates of pregnancy-associated homicide—deaths that occur among women who are pregnant or had been pregnant within one year—rose in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent NICHD-funded study.