Research Says More Women Than Men Have Vaccine Side Effects

It seems that even with COVID-19 vaccines, women can't catch a break. New research indicates that women experience side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine more than men, according to a report from Western Mass News.

The study, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shows that women are reporting more adverse reactions from the vaccine shot than men, but it seems to be simply the result of their bodies’ immune response.

According to the CDC, after looking at the first month and almost 14 million vaccinations, 79.1% of the reports of more severe side effects came from females.

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The most common side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine include arm soreness, fatigue, dizziness, and headaches. And according to a CDC epidemiologist, while rare, women were also more likely to have anaphylactic reactions to the vaccines.

Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that can be life-threatening. Symptoms can include swelling of the tongue, throat, or face, difficulty breathing, vomiting, and a rapid or slow heartbeat. It can also lead to anaphylactic shock, which can be fatal.

Western Mass News reports that one medical expert says there is a biological explanation as to why more women experience side effects than men.

Dr. Armando Paez, chief of the infectious diseases division at Baystate Health, had this to say:

This is constant with the experience in other vaccines. Like influenzas, they see more response in women than in men and because of the robust immune response in women, they tend to get more symptoms.

Health experts agree that you should not let the possibility of side effects make you shy away from getting the vaccine. For the most part, the side effect symptoms are temporary.