The answer is; sort of, we think. 

Shockingly, this has not been well researched; and as we enter into our Five-Part Covid Wellness Series sponsored by the Nova Scotia Government, we decided it was an important conversation to discuss.

The gist of it? Your menstrual cycle responds to changes in your immune system, including your stress reactivity, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. And in response to a vaccine (which we discuss) think of potential menstrual irregularities as a side effect like fever, it’s a sign the immune system is being activated. And in the same way that fever doesn’t make people permanently hot after a vaccine, menstrual irregularities will not be permanent either.

 

Research:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5887012/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6737540/pdf/dmz018.pdf https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11041226/ https://www.britannica.com/science/mast-cell https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7816615/ https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jmv.26826 http://www.biology.arizona.edu/immunology/tutorials/immunology/page3.html#:~:text=Innate%20immunity%20refers%20to%20nonspecific,foreign%20cells%20in%20the%20body https://europepmc.org/article/med/21586343 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-020-00468-6#:~:text=Coronaviruses%20(CoVs)%20are%20a%20highly,sense%20single%2Dstranded%20RNA%20viruses. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/health/johnson-johnson-covid-19-vaccine.html

Today's podcast is sponsored by the NS Government. As we come out of our third wave and work towards gaining population vaccination status, I'm asking you to book an appointment with your medical team to discuss with them any questions you may have. Questions are important, and making sure we can support your health in the best way possible is the goal. To find out more about the NS Government's response to Covid-19 or to book a vaccination appointment, please follow: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/ or https://novascotia.flow.canimmunize.ca/en/9874123-19-7418965