COVID-19 Vaccine and the Impact on Fertility Awareness Methods

Hi my name is Sarah Panzetta and I help women and their partners use fertility awareness as contraception. Many of the women I work with have been nervous about the vaccine and I don’t blame them.

Women are often overlooked in research, and their concerns dismissed, however, the research on the Covid jab is strong and so I do encourage you to get it.

That said, it’s worth knowing there’s a good chance that you might have a month or two of disrupted cycles after the vaccine. I’ve seen this with many of my clients – delayed ovulation meaning delayed periods, and sometimes a cycle where there are no signs of ovulation.

That might sound scary but it’s completely normal to have a disrupted cycle or delayed ovulation now and again. It’s a fairly common response to illness and stressful or exciting times like holidays, exams, deadlines, or job interviews.

Fortunately, handling disrupted cycles is a standard part of using fertility awareness as contraception. You don’t just rely on a period tracker to work out when you’re fertile, you use a mixture of fertility indicators. Most will use waking temperature alongside cervical fluid, ovulation tests or cervix checks.

As well as that, you make sure you’re poised to use condoms or other precautions for as long as you need to. Delayed ovulation, or no ovulation, means more condom days, but like I said this is a temporary thing. Play the long game – look after yourself and things will usually improve.

Notes:

To find out more about using fertility awareness as contraception visit the NHS website