What women need to know

Cleveland, Ohio. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Annual mammograms save lives by detecting cancer at an early, more treatable stage. And the COVID vaccine, of course, will save lives by preventing many people from catching and spreading the virus. But there is one surprising side effect of the COVID vaccine that you will want to know about, especially if you have a mammogram scheduled soon.

During a mammogram, technicians imagine not only the breast, but also the area near the armpit. Currently, some women who have received the COVID vaccine are having an unexpected reaction.

“Not everyone, but some patients will see enlarged or swollen lymph nodes on mammograms,” said Holly Marshall, MD, chief of the breast imaging division at University Hospital of Cleveland Medical Center.

The US Centers for Disease Control reports that 11% of people vaccinated against COVID have swollen lymph nodes after the first dose. Sixteen percent have swelling after the second. The swelling begins about two to three days after the vaccine. That’s why doctors say it’s important for women to tell their providers if they’ve recently received a vaccine, which arm it was in, and whether it was the first or second dose.

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“It gives us information to help us read the mammogram. Other things like cancer can cause lymph nodes to swell. That’s why we want to know the history of vaccines, ”explained Dr Marshall.

Doctors say the swelling should go away in four to six weeks, and that is the body’s normal response to the vaccine.

“If the lymph nodes haven’t shrunk in about two months, it might be time to get them checked out, come for an ultrasound and make sure nothing else is happening,” said the Dr Marshall.

The CDC reports cases of swollen lymph nodes in patients who received the Pfizer vaccine and the Moderna vaccine.

Doctors say that sometimes patients have felt the swelling under the arm and in other cases swollen lymph nodes are found on the mammogram, but are not felt by the patient.