Real Talk: Does The COVID Vaccine Affect Female Fertility? [Updated May 2022]
The ongoing vaccine rollout and booster shots for the COVID-19 pandemic have come with a lot of hope and excitement, but also a lot of questions and fear over still uncertain answers. We’re committed to keeping you up to date on the latest COVID research as it relates to your healthy pregnancy and postpartum journey, and we’re constantly updating this post, so be sure to check that out.
But we know that so many women in our community wonder and worry about the impact the vaccine might have on their future pregnancy plans and long-term fertility, and we’re here to help answer some of the top questions with clear, science-backed answers.
Before we dive in, we want to make one thing clear: our mission is always to inform you with trusted information so you can feel empowered to make the best choices for you. We respect the personal decisions and views of every member of this global community, and above all encourage you to consult with your personal healthcare professional to make choices that are in your best interest. We hope that the information in this post helps dispel some circulating myths, clear up existing facts, and help you know what the research currently says.
Let’s cut to the question that we know is likely on your mind.
Does the COVID vaccine affect female fertility?
If you’re trying to conceive or want to become pregnant in the future, there’s no evidence to suggest any vaccine, including COVID vaccines, causes fertility problems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that you don’t need to avoid the vaccines or take a pregnancy test before receiving one if you would like to eventually become pregnant.
In fact, the COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for people who are pregnant, trying to conceive, or might become pregnant in the future, as well as their partners. It is also recommended that if you are trying to conceive or might become pregnant in the future you should stay up to date with any COVID-19 vaccines you are due, including any COVID-19 booster shots.
The CDC states that if you are pregnant, “you are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19 compared to people who are not pregnant. Additionally, if you have COVID-19 during pregnancy, you are at increased risk of complications that can affect your pregnancy and developing baby”. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine, before, during, or after pregnancy can help protect you from getting very sick from COVID-19.
But how do we know the COVID vaccine is safe if it’s relatively new?
Although the COVID vaccines are relatively new and may seem to have been rolled out quickly, the mRNA technology Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are using has been studied for the last few decades for other diseases like the flu, Zika, and cancer. Decades of safety data have allowed scientists to continually make safer, more effective vaccines like the new COVID ones we have today.
How exactly do mRNA vaccines work?
The mRNA vaccines work with our bodies by teaching our cells to make a protein or part of one, that will then trigger your immune system to produce COVID antibodies to help fight off infections. These vaccines have shown to be highly effective and preliminary findings from over 35,000 women who identified as pregnant through the v-safe registry and the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) found no obvious signs of safety risk with mRNA vaccines. These systems collect voluntary health information from people after receiving vaccines to monitor potential symptoms and reactions. If you’d like to learn more about the v-safe registry or VAERS, you can find out details from the CDC here.
Why do some people think that the COVID vaccine affects female fertility?
Fertility is an intimate and important asset, and if anything feels threatening to it, it can make you second guess your actions. And we get that worry! As soon as the words fertility and COVID vaccines were mentioned in the same sentence, people start thinking, ‘well there must be some reason people are talking about it, maybe I should be worried’.
Vaccine hesitancy isn’t a new concept and worries about vaccine impact on fertility have been around for years. You may have heard similar claims about the HPV vaccine back in 2006, but safety monitoring studies have shown there is no evidence of HPV vaccines causing women’s reproductive issues.
This hesitation surrounding the COVID vaccines and their impact on fertility seemed to reach a peak in December 2020 when a German epidemiologist and physician named Dr. Wolfgang Wodarg submitted a petition to the European Medicines Agency (similar to the USFDA) requesting the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine be delayed for authorization and study.
This caught the eye of many anti-vaccination groups who shared across social media, and from there, the claims spread rapidly. Their argument referenced a specific protein called syncytin-1, which is an essential part of the placenta and has slight genetic similarities to part of the spike found on coronavirus. They believed if vaccines ended up producing antibodies against this protein, the immune system could fight off and reject the placenta -- leading to infertility in women. Current vaccine data show evidence of no such effect, and many experts have spoken up about the research that disproves Dr. Wodarg’s theory and any others reporting a link to COVID vaccines and infertility.
By May 31st 2021, over 121,000 v-safe participants had reported being pregnant when they received the COVID vaccine. The CDC recognizes that this data has limitations since participants were self-reporting symptoms and conditions, so to combat this, they created a v-safe pregnancy registry to get verified and specific health data from women who reported being pregnant when they received the vaccine or becoming pregnant within 30 days after vaccination in v-safe. Not everyone who identifies on v-safe as pregnant meets the criteria for the registry, but as of May 2nd 2022 the registry has enrolled 23,779 pregnant people in the US. Scientists will use this research to better understand long-term reproductive and pregnancy outcomes and complications, in addition to neonatal issues in babies.
Does the COVID vaccine affect male fertility?
While female fertility and reproduction have been a primary focus for COVID vaccine safety (and there is now a lot of evidence that shows the safety of vaccines for women), some people wonder if men’s fertility should be a concern.
Currently, there is no evidence to suggest that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause male fertility problems. Studies, although limited, suggest that “men should receive the COVID-19 vaccine to prevent the potential risks to male reproductive health and male fertility with actual COVID-19 disease”, but further research is needed to study any potential long-term effects of the COVID vaccine on male fertility.
What should you do if you are TTC and considering the COVID vaccine?
You should consult directly with your doctor and decide what’s best for you. This is an important personal decision based on your health, your situation, and your choices at this time. Major health organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ACOG), and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) all recommend that it can help to speak with your doctor or healthcare provider about this decision to advise on what will be the healthiest outcome for you, along with any potential risks and benefits of receiving or not receiving the vaccine. This isn’t a decision you should rush, so take your time and learn about the vaccines from reliable sources so you can make the most informed decision for your health.
Here are some additional resources…
To learn more about vaccine safety and decide what the best choice is for you, here are some recommended resources:
COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: 12 Things You Need To Know - John Hopkins
Tackling Disinformation On The COVID Vaccine - NHS Youtube Series
Download the Baby2Body app for more healthy living tips in ttc, pregnancy, and motherhood
