Johannesburg- The South African Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (SASOG) has finally taken a stand on what has recently been addressed by the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE), which served as a warning against imposing mandatory Covid-19 vaccination on employees and students.
Earlier this month, CGE, reported on a statement that is said to have been published by Obstetrics and Gynecology journal this year, that there is a small change in the menstrual cycle length, but that change is temporary.
“While health experts believe that this finding is not clinically significant, the Commission would like to caution businesses and various institutions against forcing employees to vaccinate. The Commission has long taken a commitment to promote and protect the sexual and reproductive health rights of girls, women, and men. It must be acknowledged that Covid-19 is a relatively new pandemic, and that scientists in South Africa and around the world are still working to assess long-term effects of vaccines,” read a statement released by CGE.
However, SASOG has called on females to vaccinate because the menstrual cycle length is not clinically meaningful.
“We, therefore, find it surprising that the CGE brought out a statement warning against mandatory vaccination of women. Not only is their interpretation of the study flawed, but they also chose to ignore the proven benefits of vaccination of women of reproductive age as pointed out above. As such, SASOG urges both new mothers and mothers-to-be to be vaccinated. Studies show that the risk for critical illness due to COVID-19 is higher for pregnant than non-pregnant women, particularly in the 3rd trimester.
It is our opinion that their statement is irresponsible and has the potential to increase vaccine hesitancy amongst women,” read a statement released by SASOG, a body that advocates for the health of women.
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