We have been hearing a number of speculations since the covid-19 vaccination drive has begun. As our country announced the fourth phase of vaccination, youngsters are bucking up to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
In these times, one such speculation that has been doing rounds on social media lately is that “menstruating women cannot take the covid-19 vaccination.” Well, the fact is that these rumours are completely baseless and there is no evidence of any connection between covid-19 and menstruation.
So girls, do not go with baseless news and miss out on your chance of getting vaccinated. Do your research and verify your sources of information.
Here are some facts about the covid-19 vaccination and menstruation that you would not want to miss out on:
Covid-19 vaccine is safe for all women above 18 years
Currently, there is no evidence or data about any adverse effects of covid-19 vaccination in menstruating women. The safety of covid-19 vaccination has been established for all women above the age of 18 with limited safety evidence for pregnant women.
Millions of women across the world have already been vaccinated and no such claims of negative effects in menstruating women have been recorded till date.
Menstruation does not compromise the action of the vaccine
Menstruation is a normal biological process in a women’s body which may cause hormonal changes but does not impact immune response in any way.
A vaccine’s job is to induce an immune response after injecting a live/inactive form of the disease-causing organism. There is no way through which your menstrual cycle can hamper this response.
The menstrual cycle is not affected by the COVID-19 vaccine
Although stress and anxiety during the pandemic may have some mild effects on your menstrual cycle, there is no sufficient evidence that covid-19 vaccine is directly linked to this.
Vaccines are designed to produce antibodies to protect your body from infection. As a result of vaccine side effects, you may experience fever, body aches, tiredness, muscle pain etc which are all normal. These antibodies and side effects do not impact your menstrual cycle in any way.
No additional side effects of COVID-19 vaccine are seen in menstruating women
Side-effects of the covid-19 vaccine may vary from person to person and they are normal signs that your body is developing immunity. Some may experience side effects and some may not. Few common side effects may include: pain at the site of injection, fever, weakness, chills, headache etc.
Although it is common for some women to experience cramps, mood swings and hormonal fluctuations during their menstrual period, there is no evidence of additional side effects of the covid-19 vaccine in menstruating women.
Taking COVID-19 vaccine during menstruation does not affect fertility
It is necessary to understand that that the covid-19 vaccine does not contain any harmful substances which may affect your fertility irrespective of whether you take it while on your period or not.
A study trial of the vaccine by Pfizer included 37000 people, where women were tested for pregnancy with and without the vaccination. They identified that out of 23 pregnancies, 12 were from the vaccine group. Therefore, they concluded that the vaccine does not affect fertility.
It is important for each one of us to get vaccinated at the earliest to stop the spread of this deadly coronavirus. For all you women out there, remember that you can confidently go and get vaccinated even if you are on your menstrual period. Break the myth and spread the word now!
References:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. COVID-19 Vaccines While Pregnant or Breastfeeding (2021); CDC; Vaccines; Pregnancy or breast-feeding https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/pregnancy.html
- Food and Drug Administration; PFIZER-BIONTECH COVID-19 VACCINE (BNT162, PF-07302048) VACCINES AND RELATED BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTS ADVISORY COMMITTEE BRIEFING DOCUMENT; (2020)https://www.fda.gov/media/144246/download
- Gareth L. Covid-19: No evidence that vaccines can affect fertility, says new guidance: The BMJ; (2021) ;372:n509https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n509.full