Amy Taylor chats with friends over a Zoom drink when the conversation turns unexpectedly. One of the group – all in their early thirties, mostly university-educated and in professional careers – mentions that she has concerns about the Covid vaccine because she wanted to try for a baby for the next year or two.
‘I was surprised when others said they were a little anxious too. Then I started thinking, maybe I should worry too – even though I’m pro-vaccinated and I know this is the way out of the pandemic, ”Taylor * said. ‘It really plays into the fertility uncertainty that many women have in their thirties anyway. If I left it too late, would I need IVF if I had to freeze my eggs? We want nothing else that could affect our chances of motherhood. ”
Fertility concerns are one of the biggest drivers for vaccine hesitation, despite explicit assurances from doctors and scientists. The suggestion that Covid vaccinations could affect fertility is “nonsense”, England deputy chief executive Jonathan Van-Tam told ITV. Good morning Britain last week. There was ‘no evidence at all that there are problems with family planning or fertility’, he added.
The Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RCOG) have issued a joint statement on misinformation about the effect of Covid vaccinations on fertility. “There is no biologically viable mechanism by which current vaccines can have an impact on women’s fertility,” said Edward Morris, president of the RCOG.
The British Fertility Association and the Association of Reproductive and Clinical Scientists have also published guidelines stating that “there is absolutely no evidence and no theoretical reason that any of the vaccines can affect the fertility of women or men”.
People can start having fertility immediately after being vaccinated, and those who donate eggs or sperm for use by others can take the vaccine. Women who repeatedly experience miscarriages and are now trying to conceive do not need to be vaccinated.
Raj Mathur, chairman of the executive committee of the British Fertility Society, said there was very little data on the hesitation of vaccines or the reasons for them. “But many people have expressed anecdotal concerns about me and colleagues, even among health workers,” he said. Observer.
‘It’s based on misinformation, but it’s unfortunately out there. Vaccination does not prevent you from getting pregnant, and is the best way to reduce the risk of getting Covid if you are pregnant. ”
Virginia Beckett, clinical leader for reproductive medicine at the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said she also has anecdotal evidence of vaccination among women of childbearing potential. “We have seen healthcare workers reduce their vaccination because of these concerns, and this is an advance warning because most women in this age group have not even been offered vaccinations yet,” she said.
Misinformation online stemmed largely from a remark by a former employee at Pfizer that the immune response caused by the vaccine could attack the placenta, she said. The post has since been deleted and its contents discredited. ‘But the idea has inevitably snowed, especially among people who already have doubts about the vaccine. This is quite worrying. She added: “This misinformation is very difficult to tackle. Social media plays a big role in many people’s lives, and you can easily be taken to very conspiratorial and dark places. If you are already worried, there are enough things to strengthen it. ”
Beckett posted a video on Twitter refutes allegations about the effect of the vaccines on fertility and says that it is “not biologically possible”. But, she added, “what we actually know is that Covid is dangerous for pregnant women”.
At the height of the current wave, 9% of all patients in intensive care in the UK were either pregnant or had recently given birth to a baby. ‘We saw some very sick patients in the last trimester [of pregnancy], and we have seen a threefold increase in early deliveries. All of us want to do our best to protect our chances of building a family. But it’s a perverse way to try to achieve this by avoiding vaccination, especially since we know Covid is not going away. ”
* Not her real name