Does COVID-19 Vaccine Affect Fertility?
Infertility
Dr. Smriti
Jul 29, 2021
The insecurity about whether does COVID-19 vaccine affect fertility is at its peak with the rising cases. It’s been over a year since Covid-19 came into our lives. Many times lockdowns happened, but the situation still remains dreadful. In the month of January, a massive vaccination drive was initiated in the country to battle Coronavirus. Still, it continues to steal our peace of mind and has led to high morbidity and mortality rates.
Still, people are not sure about vaccination and avoiding it due to misconceptions and lack of knowledge. There is a myth being circulated on social media that covid-19 vaccines are taking a toll on fertility. So couples are furious to know the truth, is vaccination causing infertility.
Here we are going to talk about the Covid-19 vaccination to clear the doubts that are going on in the mind of people.
What are some of the common side effects of Covid-19 vaccine?
Covid-19 vaccines are safe and getting vaccinated will help you to be safe against developing Covid-19 disease and dying from Covid-19. After getting vaccinated you may experience some mild side effects which are signs that your body responding to the vaccine.
Vaccines are designed in a way to give you immunity without exposure to the disease. After getting vaccinated it is quite common to experience some mild to moderate side effects. This is because your body gets an instruction from your immune system to react in certain ways: it enhances the flow of blood so that more immune cells can circulate; besides it increases your body temperature in order to kill the virus.
It is quite common to have mild to moderate side effects like low-grade fever or muscles aches and is not a cause of alarm. They show that body is responding to the vaccine, specifically the antigen. After a few days, these side effects generally go away.
Vaccines are continuously monitored to detect adverse effects. Some of the typical side effects of Covid-19 vaccines include:
- Pain at the injection site
- Fatigue
- Muscle pain
- Fever
- Headache
- Chills and diarrhea
According to the specific vaccine, the side effects differ.
Less common side effects
Once the vaccine is received you are asked to wait for 15-30 mins at the vaccination site. This is because if any immediate reaction occurs it can be handled by health workers. People should inform their local health providers following vaccination if they experience any unexpected side effects or other health problems like when the side effect lasts for more than three days. Less common side effects noted for some Covid-19 vaccines include severe allergic reactions like anaphylaxis; well this reaction is quite rare.
When to call the doctor?
In most cases, discomfort due to fever or pain is quite a normal sign as your body is building protection. You should contact your doctor or healthcare provider:
- At the place of shot if the tenderness or redness gets worse even after 24 hours
- If your side effects are not going away even after many days of shot
So, if you are facing any of these problems you can contact your healthcare provider.
There are some short-term side effects of Covid-19 vaccines that you may encounter but they are not harmful. Let’s talk about few here.
Effect of Covid-19 vaccine on menstrual cycle
When the world is reeling under the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic, vaccination has emerged as a major weapon in fighting with it, besides maintaining a Covid-19 appropriate behavior. Well, it is quite obvious that the vaccine may have some minor side effects such as fever, feeling tired, sore arm, achy or sick, or may also have a headache.
These are very common side effects and may subside within 2-3 days after getting vaccinated. Along with these side effects, a new question has come up ‘does covid-19 vaccine affect periods’ because besides these side effects a new one has come up with some women complaining of facing period problems post Covid-19 vaccination
Typically the issue is facing ‘heavier than usual’ bleeding which has affected many women. As per experts, the changes are temporary thus nothing to worry about and it might be linked to the body’s immune response after getting jabbed.
A vaccine is a biological preparation to fight against a particular disease that involves an improvement in the immune system. As per gynaecologists, a vaccine produces a lot of immune-boosting antibodies which may affect menstruation. So it is a short-term effect that may be fine after 1-2 cycles. So the answer to the question Does Covid-19 vaccine affect menstrual cycle is yes it do but for a short term.
Is future pregnancy affected with covid1-19 vaccine?
Couples who are planning to conceive in the future have a question in their minds that can Covid-19 vaccine affect future pregnancy? Well, the answer to this is there is currently no evidence that any vaccine including Covid-19 vaccines, causing male or female infertility. If you are willing to get pregnant, then there’s no need to avoid pregnancy after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine. There is no link between Covid-19 vaccine and future pregnancy causing any problem as per the research till now.
Getting pregnant after Covid-19 Vaccine
Many people who are willing to conceive in the future, wants to know prior to going for Covid-19 Vaccination that has anyone gotten pregnant after Covid vaccine? Well, during Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine trials, 23 people conceived after taking vaccination. As far as physicians are aware, among those 23 people none of them had any adverse effect but more data are being collected.
Is Covid-19 vaccine safe during pregnancy?
As per ministry Covid-19 vaccine is safe for pregnant women and this vaccination protects pregnant women against Covid-19 disease or illness. The Union health ministry had issued guidelines for administering the Covid-19 vaccine to pregnant women.
It is seen that most pregnant women are asymptomatic or have a mild disease, but their health may be affected rapidly and this may affect the fetus too. It is imperative that they should take all the precautions to protect themselves from Covid-19, so it is therefore advised that all pregnant women should take Covid-19 vaccination.
Like any other medicine, the Covid-19 vaccine also has some mild side effects. After vaccination, she may get a mild fever, fell unwell for 1-3 days, or have pain at the injection site. So every pregnant woman should take this vaccination to protect themselves and their unborn child from Covid-19.
Does covid-19 vaccine affect male fertility?
A study out of the University of Miami, examine the semen parameters of 45 healthy men prior to and after vaccination with the vaccine Pfizer or Moderna mRNA. Here the researchers found none of the men with a decline in sperm count or motility. Also, none of the men became azoospermic also known as zero sperm count after vaccination.
Sperm takes around 70 days to produce. So as per a second study where the sperm count was compared before and after 70 days of vaccination, based on evidence it says that it does appear that covid-19 vaccination affects short-term or long-term semen parameters.
Initially, the Society for Male Fertility and Urology and the Society for the Study of Male Reproduction were not much concerned regarding the long-term effects of the Covid-19 vaccine on male fertility. They warned about the possibility of a short-term impact on sperm count due to fever after the covid-19 vaccine.
Well after conducting more research at the end the conclusion is the vaccine contains mRNA and not live virus, so it is unlikely the vaccine would affect sperm count. SO the answer to the question Does Covid-19 vaccine affect sperm count is ‘NO’. Thus it does not affect Male Fertility.
Does Covid-19 Vaccine affect fertility?
In response to reports raising Infertility concerns due to Covid-19 Vaccination, the Union health ministry clarified that the vaccines do not cause any fertility issues in men or women and these vaccines are authorized and their efficacy is assured. So, the insecurity of whether does covid-19 vaccine affect fertility, is clarified that it doesn’t.
Further, just to curb the widespread myth regarding Covid-19 vaccination causing fertility issues, the Government of India has clarified that there are no scientific evidence proving that Covid-19 vaccination can cause infertility in men and women. It is said that vaccines are safe and effective.
In an interview, Dr. N.K Arora, Chairperson of Covid-19 working Group of National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) has encountered these allegations and fears. He even mentioned that during the Polio vaccine such misinformation was created that who are getting the vaccine may face infertility issues in the future. He assured that all the vaccines undergo intense scientific researches and none of the vaccines have any such side effects.
Conclusion
From 16 January 2021, the Covid-19 vaccination has been rolled out in India. Well, there are numerous myths and doubts in the mind of people regarding vaccines. There are many people who are hesitating to get jabbed due to many reasons such as fear of side effects, efficacy, and misinformation about the vaccines, that it induces infertility. There are few short-term side effects of Covid-19 vaccines that are harmless. There is no scientific evidence available showing that does covid-19 vaccine affect fertility. These vaccines are first tested on animals and then on humans for side effects. Once their safety and efficacy is assured then only they are authorized. None of the Covid-19 vaccines are causing infertility in humans.
FAQs
Will the Covid-19 vaccine provide long-term protection?
The Covid-19 vaccine has been developed in the past few months so it is too early to say how long the vaccines would provide protection. Yet researchers are going on to answer the question.
What are the benefits of getting vaccinated?
The COVID-19 vaccines protect against the disease, as it develops an immune response to the SARS-Cov-2 virus. Also developing immunity through vaccination means there is less risk of getting infected and its consequences. If exposed this immunity is beneficial in fighting the virus.
Should I be vaccinated if I have had COVID-19?
No matter even if you have already had COVID-19 still you need to get vaccinated when your turn comes.
Does having a side effect means that the vaccine is working? What does having no side effects mean?
The vaccine stimulates your immune system to protect you from the virus. It sometimes may cause some side effects such as fever, headache, or chills, but everyone does not experience this. The side effects you may face do not predict your immune response to the vaccine. So it is not necessary to have side effects to be protected.
Does the covid vaccine affect future pregnancy?
No, getting the covid-19 vaccine will not impact your fertility. Women who are trying to conceive can get vaccinated with Covid-19 vaccines and there is no reason to delay pregnancy after completing the vaccine doses.
How does covid-19 affect fertility rate?
The Covid-19 vaccines have been extensively tested and screened for potential risks and have been approved only after their safety and efficacy have been established without a doubt. There is no evidence that any of the vaccines are affecting fertility. So there is no impact of whether does Covid-19 vaccine effect fertility rate.
References
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov
https://www.mohfw.gov.in/covid_vaccination/vaccination
https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus
https://www.healthline.com/health-news
