Question explored with the scientific record
Has the covid shots caused cysts particularly in the ovaries and uterus?
The short answer: no retrieved study shows the COVID shots causing ovarian or uterine cysts, but the evidence is thin and the wrong question has mostly been studied.
One review found menstrual irregularity and heavy bleeding reported after vaccination, described as short-lived and under about two months [1]. A South Korean modeling study lists how often women received doses as its top predictor of abnormal uterine bleeding [6], and VAERS data show more menstrual-disorder reports after COVID shots than after other vaccines [8]. None of these are cysts. They are bleeding-pattern changes, at the level of spontaneous reports and association, not proof of cause.
For cysts specifically, the closest thing is a case report linking post-vaccine brain inflammation to a pre-existing ovarian teratoma, not to a new cyst [3]. The rest of the retrieval covers IVF outcomes and ovarian reserve [2][5], COVID infection and the menstrual cycle [4], and general reproductive safety [1][7]. That is a gap: nobody in this evidence set measured ovarian or uterine cyst formation after vaccination. Spontaneous reporting systems like VAERS detect little by design, and a vaccinated-versus-unvaccinated comparison on cysts was not run here.
| Question | What the evidence shows |
|---|---|
| Ovarian reserve after shot | Minimal impact [1] |
| IVF outcomes after shot | Unimpaired [2][5] |
| Menstrual bleeding after shot | Transient changes, most common irregular bleeding [1] |
| Cysts specifically | Not measured in these records [1][3] |
My call: the claim that the shots cause ovarian or uterine cysts is not supported by anything retrieved, but it has barely been looked at honestly, so I would not call it disproven either. Confidence: low.
Sources used 8
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Female reproduction and abnormal uterine bleeding after COVID-19 vaccination
COVID-19 vaccines have minimal impact on ovarian reserve and IVF outcomes, but are associated with transient, well-tolerated menstrual irregularities (most commonly irregular bleeding and menorrhagia) lasting less than 2 months.
DOI: 10.5653/cerm.2023.05925 -
Does mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine influence patients' performance during IVF-ET cycle?
This observational study investigates the influence of the mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine on the performance of patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments, finding no significant differences in ovarian stimulation and embryological variables before and after vaccinatio…
DOI: 10.1186/s12958-021-00757-6 -
Anti-N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Encephalitis after BNT162b2 COVID-19 Vaccination
This study reports a rare case of anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis triggered by the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccination in a female patient with an ovarian teratoma.
DOI: 10.14581/jer.22013 -
Impact of COVID-19 on Menstrual Cycle Pattern
COVID-19 infection in young female medical students was associated with increased menstrual cycle irregularities, with higher risk among those requiring hospitalization or CPAP.
DOI: 10.11648/j.ajbio.20251305.15 -
P-164 COVID-19 vaccination does not impair fertilisation outcomes in IVF or ICSI cycles. A retrospective cohort study of patients’ cycle outcomes before and after vaccination
GDF9 concentrations in embryo culture medium correlate with human embryo quality and viability.
DOI: 10.1093/humrep/deac107.159 -
Artificial intelligence models predicting abnormal uterine bleeding after COVID-19 vaccination
This study developed a machine learning model to predict abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) in women under 50 years following COVID-19 vaccination, utilizing a large national cohort from South Korea and identifying key predictive factors such as vaccination frequency and hemoglobin…
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-91882-4 -
Efficacy and adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccine in pregnant women
Maternal mRNA COVID-19 vaccination appears generally safe in pregnancy, facilitates transplacental antibody transfer, and is linked to reduced COVID-19–related hospitalization in infants under 6 months, with mostly mild adverse effects.
DOI: 10.56294/saludcyt2022210 -
COVID-19 vaccine and menstrual conditions in female: data analysis of the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)
Disproportionate reporting of menstrual disorders after COVID-19 vaccination is observed in VAERS data, particularly among women aged 30–49, signaling a potential safety issue but not proving causality due to spontaneous-report limitations.
DOI: 10.1186/s12905-022-01934-4