A massively viral image on social media cautions women above 18 years of age to not take coronavirus vaccine five days before and after their menstrual cycle as it can “affect immunity” of a person.

However, we spoke to several gynaecologists who didn’t only rubbish the viral claim but added, “There is no problem if a woman takes vaccine during, after and before periods unless she is planning for a baby. Don’t withhold your vaccination because of this.”

Experts are trying to assuage concerns and combat misinformation about how the Covid-19 vaccines may affect menstrual cycles and fertility, after anecdotal reports that some people experienced earlier, later, heavier or more painful periods following the jab.

So far, there’s no data linking the vaccines to changes in menstruation.

So all women above 18 years of age irrespective of their periods, hormonal status, should get vaccinated, apart from pregnant women as currently it’s not recommended in India.

Fever, chills, headache, fatigue, and muscle soreness, are some of the common side effects of getting the COVID-19 vaccination. Most people witness these side effects after getting the jab which simply means that the vaccine is working perfectly and is building antibodies against the virus. But apart from some of these known reactions of the vaccine, some lesser reported side effects have been witnessed by women after the COVID dose.

Some women reported heavier or off-cycle periods than usual after the COVID vaccine. It is believed that the side-effects of getting the jab were left out of the clinical trials mostly likely by mistake. Surprisingly, the tracking system for side effects from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), known as the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) has till now received at least 32 reports of altered periods out of 56,000 participants who responded to the query. This may be a small percentage of the number, but it indicates that there is a link between the missing period and the COVID shot.

There is still little research available on how the vaccine can affect the menstrual cycle. But experts believe that it could be because the vaccine is known to stress the immune system and the monthly period may respond to these kinds of changes. It may lead to a heavier period than normal or off-cycle bleeding. The monthly menstrual cycle is believed to be dynamic and may respond to several small changes taking place in daily life. Stress, exercise, diet, sleep cycle and even some medication may cause the menstrual cycle to go off track. Taking these factors into consideration, witnessing any change in the menstrual flow after the vaccine is not unusual

Heavy periods and cramps are normal side effects that women may witness after getting the jab. But one should not panic about it at all. It is normal like fever and headache and you just need to know that you may experience it after getting the jab. In case you may witness unbearable pain or your period extends for more than 5 days then you must consult your doctor.