Can Covid vaccines cause infertility? - Hindustan Times
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Can Covid vaccines cause infertility?

Published on Jul 16, 2021 03:53 PM IST

Vaccines help create antibodies in the body which decrease the chances of getting infected.

Dr Sunita Arora, MD, FICOG, FICS is a Senior Consultant and Clinical Head at Bloom IVF Centre, Fortis La Femme Hospital, New Delhi.
Dr Sunita Arora, MD, FICOG, FICS is a Senior Consultant and Clinical Head at Bloom IVF Centre, Fortis La Femme Hospital, New Delhi.
ByHT Brand Studio

Covid-19 pandemic has affected a large part of our population and couples in the reproductive age are no exception to this. The World health Organisation declared the outbreak a public health emergency on 30 January 2020. The second wave of pandemic caused by Delta virus had been really devastating. As a result, many who are planning to have a baby or looking to start fertility procedures such as In Vitro Fertilization (IVF),IUI are seeking answers about the impact of the Covid-19 vaccine on reproductive systems of both men and women before taking the plunge.

Covid 19 is caused by a beta corona virus, SARS COV 2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 ). And as far as covid vaccine is concerned, there is no evidence that fertility levels are getting affected or impaired due to administration of the vaccine. On the contrary, corona virus infection seems to affect fertility as per whatever scant evidence available till date.

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Researchers found significantly increased levels of inflammatory markers and a transient state of subfertility after the infection in male semen parameters, which due to lack of large studies is difficult to endorse. The ACE2 receptors through which this virus act is present in both males and female’s reproductive tract. That’s why, it is further mandatory to take the vaccine and prevent chances of infection before going for fertility treatment. Having said that, fertility treatment should not be deferred in cases like poor ovarian reserve, fertility preservation in emergency cases like cancer, age towards higher side for waiting for vaccination.

Vaccines help create antibodies in the body which decrease the chances of getting infected. The Covid-19 vaccine is no different as it offers protection against the Sars-CoV-2 virus and uses similar mechanism that are already in existence in the system.

During the severe second wave of the pandemic in the recent months , it was observed that the admission rate of pregnant women who had not been vaccinated for Covid-19 to Intensive Care Units (ICUs) was very high in the aftermath of a Covid-19 infection.

Pregnant women who already have compromised respiratory systems due to enlarged uterus and pregnancy being an immunocompromised state where chances to get severe infections are high, covid infection in a pregnant woman were seen to be more severe than that in a non-pregnant counterpart.

Covid-19 infection if happens in pregnancy, can lead to slow growth in the baby, pre-term delivery, complications in the mother like gestational diabetes and increased chances of a Caesarean Section delivery and definitely increased chances of ICU admissions for mother.

This makes it imperative to speed up the vaccination process for women who are planning to get pregnant or are already pregnant so that their chances of getting infected are minimised. Those taking the vaccine before planning to conceive need not have a gap between the vaccine and planning conception. However, as vaccine may have mild side effects in form of fever and body ache its wiser to defer the treatment by a week or so or by 2-3 weeks if severe side effects of vaccine are noted.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has already given a go-ahead for vaccination of pregnant women for Covid-19 and federation of Obstetrics and gynaecological society of India (FOGSI) and FIGO (International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics endorses safety of vaccine in pregnant and lactating women

Hence it is advisable that couples planning to start fertility treatments or those who are already undergoing a procedure should take the vaccine and just wait for side effects of vaccine to get over before going into the treatment. Vaccine however, is not an indication to stop fertility treatment. There is no preference of one vaccine over the other for couples seeking fertility treatment or planning conceptions. So get vaccinated and stay safe!

To know more about taking a step towards parenthood, log in here and check out our website.

Dr Sunita Arora, MD, FICOG, FICS is a Senior Consultant and Clinical Head at Bloom IVF Centre, Fortis La Femme Hospital, New Delhi.

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