Coronavirus vaccination: Do women get more side effects? Is there a high risk of blood clots? FAQs answered

Getting vaccinated against coronavirus is no less than a preventive shield. Everybody over the age of 18 is now eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine in India. Yet, there has been a skewed response seen amongst men and women.

Worried about COVID-19 vaccine side-effects? Expert clears your doubts

As per some reports, fewer women are getting the COVID-19 vaccine in India as compared to men. While the gender disparity also pertains to the country's demographic divide, lower participation of women during the vaccination drives could also be factored by causes and hesitancy. The fear of, for example, more intense side-effects, or myths about vaccines' impact on fertility is keeping women away.

While vaccines continue to be researched and studied for their efficacy, the biological makeup of men and women may make them react a bit differently. For one, it is strongly believed that high levels of estrogen in the body can mean that women also mount stronger immune responses in comparison to men. In contrast, it has been seen that age may dim a vaccine's efficiency in women.

Women more likely to suffer from severe vaccine side-effects, here's why

Hormonal fluctuations can also make women react differently, and seldom be more prone to some side effects, which can be perplexing in times like these.

However, receiving the COVID-19 vaccine is not just safe but also protects one against many COVID-19 complications, risks and mortality. In order to bridge the gap, we clear some of the questions and myths surrounding the use of the COVID-19 vaccine in women.

There is no real-life data to support the fact that getting a COVID-19 vaccine jab, or any vaccine poses threat to one's reproductive system.

EXPLAINED: Why COVID-19 vaccines have no link to infertility in men and women

Scientifically, vaccines are designed in a way to work to boost immunity, independent of the reproductive function, and hence, there is no correlation with how your fertility may be affected. Any hormonal fluctuations can bring temporary changes, but do not pose a threat to fertility in the long run.

However, clinical recommendations do advise women undergoing any kind of fertility treatments (egg retrieval, embryo transfer) to not schedule their jabs three days before or after the procedure. Getting the jab may make women experience some side effects which could be confusing with post-surgical infections. Do remember to consult your doctor before getting the jab and take an informed decision.

There is another myth that is making women hesitant to turn up and get their vaccine jab- about getting vaccinated during their periods.

Do periods 'lessen' your immunity? Hear it from the doctors!

While claims suggest that women have low immunity during their peak menstruation cycles and thus, may render the vaccine ineffective, there is no scientific truth to the matter. Read here to know why periods have no impact on how the COVID-19 vaccine works.

Apart from this, there have also been some reports of women reporting changes to their menstrual cycle and the flow after getting the jab. Again, while there is no clinical or biological evidence to support the same, periods and your menstruation dates can be affected by a lot many factors, including any stress or health changes, so in all likelihood, temporary period flow changes are also resultant of the same.

As evident by case studies, hundreds of thousands of women have reported experiencing more 'intense' side-effects after getting the COVID-19 jab, in comparison to men.

While the anecdotal evidence is concerning, scientists have flagged off the worries to be harmless. A lot of it, how side-effects occur after getting the vaccine depend on hormonal responses. Every person's immunity reacts differently, and it can happen that side-effects for someone can be more severe than the other, just like sensitivity to pain. It could also be possible that women are more likely to 'report' side-effects than men do.

The side-effects to the vaccine are also routine in nature, as is what is expected from the vaccines, and hence, not reason enough to contemplate delay or skip getting the dose.

Scepticism about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines rose after several beneficiaries reported getting a blood clot weeks following the COVID-19 vaccine. Most of them were amongst women who received the Oxford-Astrazeneca or Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

Early signs that your COVID-19 vaccine has caused a blood clot

The discovery of blood clots made authorities push for a pause and review on the vaccines. While matters remain still under study, some experts do believe that women's genetic make-up and autoimmune reactions may also make them prone to experiencing such side effects of 'severe' nature. Blood clotting post-vaccination has also been likened to heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, which also causes platelet levels to drop. Some also speculate that the heightened risk for the clotting disorder following vaccination could be explained by pregnancy or the use of birth-control pills. Both pregnancy and the hormones found in birth-control pills can boost the body’s clot-making ability.

Even so, while post-vaccination blood clots could be treated when diagnosed well in time, experts have been warning that the 'rare' complication should not push women away from getting vaccinated. The risk of developing blood clots is higher with a COVID-19 infection, in comparison to the vaccine.