Covid Nepal: Vaccination 'effect on menstruation is not long term'

Covid Nepal: Vaccination 'effect on menstruation is not long term'

In Nepal, some women are reporting that their menstruation has been affected after being vaccinated against Covid.

They report delayed menstruation, heavy bleeding and increased pain during menstruation.

But doctors and experts have said that it has not been proven that this effect is caused by the vaccine itself.

As any vaccine affects immunity and hormones, some changes in menstruation after vaccination are normal, they say.

Pooja Parajuli panicked when she did not get her period even after about two weeks than usual.

The 28-year-old from Ilam initially underwent a pregnancy test. The result was negative.

Then she went to the local doctor and told her problem. The doctor told me that it is normal to sometimes miss periods.

Parajuli, who usually has regular periods, had delayed bleeding for a week straight. Bleeding was also more than usual.

"I was scared. Even though the doctor said it was normal, I was looking for a reason for late periods or heavy bleeding," says Pooja.

Suspected vaccine side effects

While searching, she saw the reaction of some other women who were experiencing menstrual problems after getting the covid vaccine.

"In a group of women on Facebook, I found several people complaining about late periods, heavy bleeding and severe abdominal pain after getting the covid vaccine," she said.

She had received the first dose of Verocell vaccine on May 28 last year. Since then her period has been affected.

Saru Ghimire from Kathmandu received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on July 4.

She said that after a few days, abnormal 'white discharge' i.e. white water flowed with clotted blood mixed in it.

Abnormal menstruation

"I thought it was an infection. I got my period before going to the hospital. But it was not normal," said Ghimire.

"The bleeding was also profuse and the blood seemed to clot a lot."

"Initially, I didn't think that the vaccine would have an effect. After my menstruation was affected, I started looking for the effects of the vaccine," she said.

Sandipa Khatri, a resident of Kirtipur, also said that her two menstrual cycles were extremely painful after vaccination. She says that she worries that this problem will always remain the same.

'Can't say the effect of the vaccine'

The director of Charity Maternity and Gynecology Hospital Dr. Dr. Sangeeta Mishra says.

"Coronavirus and vaccines have increased anxiety and stress in women, which may have an effect on menstruation. But the study has not been done to say that the vaccine has an effect," said Dr. Mishra said.

She advised not to panic as it is normal for the first period after vaccination to be delayed.

If the effect is repeated for the second or more months, you should consult a doctor. Mishra says.

Does the vaccine affect menstruation?

Women from other countries have also said that their menstruation is affected after the vaccination against Covid-19.

Vaccinated women have reported experiencing late or early menses and heavy bleeding. Medical anthropologist Dr. It was Kate Clancy who tweeted about the heavy bleeding she experienced after getting the Moderna vaccine.

Dozens of people responded to her tweet, including transgender and postmenopausal women. They mentioned bleeding.

Experts say that it is not confirmed that such problems seen in menstruation are the effect of the vaccine, but there are grounds that the vaccine may have an effect on menstruation.

Temporary problem

Imperial College London's reproductive immunologist Dr. Victoria Mail has said that there is no need to panic if there is some change in menstruation after the covid vaccine.

She says, "There is no need to worry about whether it will be like this for the rest of your life. Not only for Covid, but also after taking other vaccines, there is some change in menstruation."

According to Mel, one or two menstrual cycles after vaccination are affected. She said that the immune system affects the 'sex hormone' and this happens when the hormone affects it.

She said that the sex hormones responsible for women's periods, ¬oestrogen and progesterone, are affected by the vaccine.

Other causes of irregular periods

"A woman has many immune cells on the surface of her uterus. Vaccinations can affect them, or even a normal illness can affect menstruation," says Mel.

According to Mel, the effects seen in menstruation are not long term. He claims that the women who reported the problem said that only one to two months cycle was affected.

Coordinator of expert group on vaccination in Nepal. Shyamraj Upreti says that in the case of Nepal, there is no official information on this matter because all the women in the menstruating group have not been vaccinated.

"If women's menstruation is really affected, it can become a subject of study," said Dr. Upreti said.

"Comparatively, if there are more vaccinated women among the affected women, it may be the effect of the vaccine itself. However, this claim has not been verified by the World Health Organization," he said.