By: Jindal IVF Chandigarh On: November 9, 2021 6:21 AM
The COVID19 pandemic had adversely affected the emotional and psychological parameters of not only those who suffered from the illness but also the healthy people all around. There has been an aggravated degree of tension, depression and anxiety among people irrespective of age and gender. Besides the common anxieties among all, the women in particular had suffered from severe symptoms related to their menstrual periods. Factually, more than a third of women developed irregular cycles during the pandemic. Almost a quarter of women with confirmed COVID-19, had irregular or altered menstrual periods.
Fortunately, the COVID19 cases and the general fear have significantly lessened in the recent weeks because of the containment of the infection. The success can be attributed to the wider application of COVID behaviour enforced by the government as well as the rapid expansion of the vaccination programme against this menace. India has been almost at the forefront of this fight against the pandemic. Sadly though, there were rumours about the medical problems caused by vaccination which got widely circulated on social media platforms. These rumours unnecessarily advocated that women should not take Covid-19 vaccines five days before and after their periods. The social media post claimed that the immunity is depressed during periods. These were entirely baseless and unfounded merely to delay the vaccination programme. There is absolutely no effect of menstruation on body-immunity.
The menstrual cycle is a natural process with normal cyclic change in hormonal balance between progesterone and estrogen which do not affect the immune response. Moreover, there is no actual data or evidence to connect COVID-19 vaccines to the menstrual cycle. By now, millions of women worldwide already have the vaccine without any proven problem related to menstruation. It should be kept in mind that COVID-19 vaccination is one of the best preventive tools to fight the deadly virus. It is even more effective in reducing the severity of the illness.
Are there any side effects of vaccination during menstruation?
The answer is simply “NO”. COVID vaccine consists of injection of an inactive or modified virus with or without a carrier to start an immune response. This reaction cannot be influenced by menstrual cycle or any other bodily processes. Vaccination is as safe for women as it is for men. The occurrence of side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine are common to both the genders.
It is true that different side-effects are sometimes complained by women after the vaccination. Undoubtedly however, these problems are largely insignificant and generally limited. These are mostly attributable to the extreme stress and fear caused by the rumour-mongering on the social media platforms. One must schedule vaccination at one’s earliest – do not avoid taking vaccination during or before the menstrual periods. It should be taken as early as possible.
Following precautions may be observed regarding vaccination during menstruation
Dehydration due to water retention normally occurs during menstruation (attributable to a drop in progesterone and estrogen levels). This can sometimes cause cramps during periods. It is better to increase fluid intake during the menstrual periods – hydrated if you are getting vaccinated around or during your periods.
Some minor side effects are commonly seen after you get vaccinated. The side effects in fact indicate that the body is developing immune protection.
Some of the common side effects associated with COVID-19 vaccines are:
- Headache, Fever, Tiredness, Muscle ache
- Mild pain and swelling on the arm where you got the jab.
These are generally managed with symptomatic treatment.
The following messages should be loud and clear
- Menstrual period has no effect on the vaccine efficacy.
- There are no increased side-effects of vaccination related to vaccination.
- There is absolutely no evidence to link COVID vaccination with menstruation. Do not delay the vaccination – get vaccinated as soon as you can.
If know more about vaccination during menstruation? Contact us : +91 9418-127-128 or visit our official website.
