Nishmat's Women’s Health and HalachaIn memory of Chaya Mirel bat R' Avraham

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Corona vaccine & spotting?

23 January, 2021
Question:

I’m scheduled to get my first dose of Corona vaccine tomorrow. I’ve heard some rumors that women are having spotting after the shot. Do you know if there’s any basis to that? I’m nervous it might make me niddah.


Answer:

Congratulations on getting the vaccine!

First, it’s important to emphasize that the FDA-approved Corona vaccines are considered safe, including for women of reproductive age.

We have heard some anecdotal reports of spotting following vaccination. Since women experience spotting for many different reasons, we cannot know to what extent these cases are connected to the vaccine, and to what extent they are coincidence. At this point, no correlation between the vaccine and staining has been documented. In any case, an association between vaccination and spotting would not be indicative of any negative reproductive effects.

The benefits of vaccination against Corona outweigh theoretical concerns of becoming niddah or delaying mikveh during one or two cycles.

In any case, it is always a good idea to take the precautions outlined in our articles on Stains and Toilet Paper to avoid becoming niddah unnecessarily or invalidating the clean days on account of spotting.

If you plan to be vaccinated during the clean days, and are particularly concerned about the possibility of staining, you may perform all bedikot as usual up to the vaccination, and then hold off on further bedikot until day seven. Make sure to remember the day seven bedikah. You can also wear disposable white pantiliners.

If you do experience spotting or any side effect, you can report it to your health care provider, local health authorities, and/or the company that manufactured the vaccine:

Israel Ministry of Health

US Department of Health and Human Services

Pfizer

Please get back to us with any further questions.

We wish you continued good health!

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