What women need to know

CLEVELAND, Ohio. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Annual mammograms save lives by detecting cancer in the most treatable early stages. And the COVID vaccine, of course, will save lives by preventing many people from contracting and spreading the virus. But there is an amazing 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 photograph not only the breast, but also the area close to the armpit. At the moment, some women who have received the COVID vaccine are experiencing an unexpected reaction.

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

The US Centers for Disease Control is reporting that 11 percent of recipients of the COVID vaccine have swollen lymph nodes after the first dose. Sixteen percent have swelling after the second. The swelling starts about two to three days after the vaccine. That is why doctors say it is important for women to inform their providers if they recently received a vaccine, which arm she was on and whether it was the first or the second dose.

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“This gives us information to help us read the mammogram. Other things, like cancer, can cause swollen lymph nodes. So, that’s why we want to know the history of the vaccine, ”explained Dr. Marshall.

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

“If the lymph nodes don’t shrink in about two months, then it would be time to do an exam, go for an ultrasound and make sure there’s nothing else going on,” shared Dr. Marshall.

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

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