What doctors forgot to tell women about COVID vaccines

Plus: The healing power of onions; the rainforest that lives in your belly button.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌    ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   [WHAT'S IN YOUR BELLY BUTTON?]( [VIEW ONLINE]( [WHAT'S IN YOUR BELLY BUTTON?]( [National Geographic]( YOUR WEEKLY CHECKUP This week: Discover links between [COVID, vaccines, and menstrual cycles]( a [new Omicron subvariant]( prompts a warning from the FDA; trendy [bedtime stories]( for adults; the healing power of [onions]( a [language barrier]( for COVID patients; what's in your [belly button](. PHOTOGRAPH BY JAMES CAVALLINI, SCIENCE SOURCE [Menstrual cycles disrupted by COVID, vaccines]( Women getting COVID were not told. Women getting COVID vaccines were not told. Both the coronavirus and the protection against it really mess up menstrual cycles. For artist Raven La Fae, long after suffering through the virus and getting vaccines, her periods have not returned to normal—sometimes lasting up to 13 days a month. “When COVID started, we were worried about people dying, so other things were overlooked,” says Yale obstetrician Hugh Taylor. The omission created fear, because women have been told menstrual changes could signal a hormonal imbalance, or even cancer. Why did menstrual cycles change? And why did this news take so long to get out? [Read the full story here]( NG STAFF [A new variant is rising—and could pose a threat to the immunocompromised]( Although the Omicron subvariant BA.5 is currently causing most new COVID-19 cases in the United States, the number of cases caused by another Omicron subvariant—BA.4.6—has prompted the FDA to issue a warning: The only monoclonal antibody authorized for immunocompromised individuals may be completely ineffective against it. [TRACKING COVID IN THE U.S.]( [WHAT COMES AFTER OMICRON? The virus hasn't stopped evolving. Hundreds of new variants are emerging +]( PHOTOGRAPH BY LYNN JOHNSON, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION [We're not getting enough sleep. Could bedtime stories be the cure?]( Some 70 million Americans struggle with chronic sleep problems, according to the CDC. To remedy this, many adults are bringing back a childhood staple: the bedtime story. There are more than 2,500 meditation apps on the market offering nighttime relaxation help, as well as dozens of podcasts and online video channels that exist simply to lull adults into a deep slumber. [BEDTIME RITUALS, FOR ADULTS]( MAGNUS WENNMAN [While we sleep, our mind goes on an amazing journey]( Our floodlit society has made sleep deprivation a lifestyle. But we know more than ever about how we rest—and how it keeps us healthy. [SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE]( R.H. GILES, WELLCOME CENTER [A 19th century health practice with modern implications]( Doctors used to swear by the slow recovery period known as convalescence. Some experts say embracing it again could offer benefits for an array of illnesses. [RECOVERY TIME]( CHIOT'S RUN/FLICKR/CREATIVE COMMONS 2.0 [‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ FROM THE ARCHIVES‌ ‌ ‌Â]( [The vegetable that was once used to treat gunshot wounds]( Onions are fine-tuned biological fighting machines, and they've got a lot going for them: Their juices are known antibiotics, and are also used to ameliorate multiple conditions, from allergies and asthma to diabetes. [WHAT THE SCIENCE SAYS]( [PIONEERING NEW THERAPIES: Treating hard-to-heal wounds like never before +]( [CORONAVIRUS UPDATE]( PHOTOGRAPH BY MARIO TAMA, GETTY IMAGES [For speakers of rare languages, COVID care was a struggle to navigate]( As the pandemic raged, Indigenous immigrants from Latin America grappled with unique linguistic challenges and limited interpretation support in U.S. hospitals. [READ THE STORY]( MORE HEALTH NEWS IMAGES COURTESY OF BELLY BUTTON DIVERSITY [‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ FROM THE ARCHIVES‌ ‌ ‌Â]( [What lives in your belly button? A 'rainforest' of species]( Given the belly button's status as one of the body's most rarely scrubbed crannies, it offered researchers a chance to study as close to a pristine microbial landscape as is possible on the modern human. "It's quite beautiful," says one researcher. [READ ON]( [Sign up here]( to receive our daily newsletters, covering History, Environment, Science, Animals, Travel, Photography, and Family. [SHOP]( [DONATE]( [SUBSCRIBE]( [TRAVEL]( [READ OUR LATEST STORIES]( [SHOP]( [DONATE]( [SUBSCRIBE]( [TRAVEL]( [FB]( [Twitter]( [IG]( [VIEW ONLINE]( Clicking on the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and National Geographic Channel links will take you away from our National Geographic Partners site where different terms of use and privacy policy apply. This email was sent to: {EMAIL}. Please do not reply to this email as this address is not monitored. 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