As the Covid-19 vaccination programs are in a full swing, people are concerned about vaccine side effects especially regarding the menstrual cycle in women. This debate of how the Covid-19 vaccine affects periods started after some women reported that they got their period right after they received the vaccination. It implies that there might be some connection between these two, but no one can answer it, at least for now.
Health experts are getting this same question from all parts of the world where vaccination programs are active. Despite that there is no scientific data suggesting these two have some link, this controversy started from social media and till now, thousands of people have re-shared it.
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While there is no way to establish an answer right now, the health experts are studying the after-effects of the Covid-19 vaccine, including its effect on menstrual periods. In general, vaccines activate the natural immune system of the body, helping it to work well and protect from any pathogenic attack, some experts believe that there are chances that it may affect menstrual cycles.
Interestingly, the reports of irregular periods after the covid-19 vaccine are only anecdotal. For those who don’t know, periods can be affected by a variety of risk factors including stress, hormonal changes, diet, lifestyle, etc. But there is also evidence on how the body may produce side effects after being injected any vaccine but these side effects rarely affect menstrual cycles. For this reason, it is hard to say if getting the vaccine will affect your periods or not, at least at this point when there is no scientific proof to support any argument.
According to health experts, even if there is any way that these two are connected, meaning the Covid-19 vaccine is causing irregular bleeding or dates of the periods, this is no reason to avoid getting the vaccine. The collective benefits of the covid-19 vaccine are way over their potential effects on periods, implying no woman should miss a vaccine dose fearing her menstrual cycle will be disturbed.
To be sure of these changes taking place inside the woman’s body, researchers are gathering information from women and have recently launched an online survey. This survey will ask questions regarding the health status, background information, lifestyle, diet, and medical history of a woman before getting the vaccine shot.
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The survey information would not determine the link between the Covid-19 vaccine and periods but it will help to establish a hypothesis. The assumptions based on these survey reports can be later on tested in the research lab, trying to find the reasons which are behind these changes. Before reaching this last, research-based step, it is hard to say if irregular periods are caused by the Covid-19 vaccine or not.
Both Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists agree that the Covid-19 vaccine or any vaccine can affect the sexual health and fertility of any user.
Some gynecologists believe it may be possible because the immune cells are also present inside the uterine lining and any change to the immunity may also affect the uterine lining too. This uterine lining is shed every month and excreted out of the body in the form of periods.
