About Fertility
New Guidance on the COVID-19 Vaccination and Reproductive Health
The American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) COVID-19 task force has released new guidance on COVID-19 vaccination and reproductive health. Findings include that the COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy does not increase the risk of miscarriage, nor does it impact male or female fertility or fertility treatment outcomes. Here are more of the excerpts from the most recent press release:
- As of July 16, 2021, the 7-day moving average of daily new cases of COVID-19 in the United States (U.S.) increased by nearly 70% compared with the previous 7-day moving average.1
- The current status of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. has been called “a pandemic of the unvaccinated”2. The incidence of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths fell precipitously as COVID-19 vaccinations became widely available. Unfortunately, hospitalization rates are rising again, due to the highly contagious delta variant, especially in states with low vaccination rates. Nearly all (97%) recently hospitalized patients are unvaccinated.2-5
- Current CDC data suggest only 16.3% of pregnant women included in the CDC’s Vaccine Safety Data link have received >1 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy.6 This low rate of vaccination is particularly concerning given the known increased risk of adverse outcomes for women infected with COVID-19 during pregnancy. 7,8
- Reproductive endocrinologists should discuss COVID-19 vaccination with all patients and encourage vaccination for all patients during evaluation and treatment for infertility. Vaccination, either pre-conception or early during pregnancy, is the best way to reduce maternal/fetal complications. Physician counseling has been shown to have a significant positive impact on patient willingness to consider vaccination.9
- None of the currently available COVID-19 vaccines reach or cross the placenta. The intramuscularly administered vaccine mRNA remains in the deltoid muscle cell cytoplasm for just a few days before it is destroyed.10,11 However, protective antibodies to COVID-19 have been shown to cross the placenta and confer protection to the baby after delivery.12,13
- COVID-19 vaccination does not induce antibodies against the placenta.14
- Existing data suggest that COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy does not increase the risk of miscarriage.15
- COVID-19 vaccination does not impact male or female fertility or fertility treatment outcomes.16-18
View the press release here.
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We are committed to continuing care for our patients and remain focused, as always, on providing you with individual care that centers on you. The decision to vaccinate is a personal one, and knowing the real facts is an important part of that decision. If you have more questions on understanding how COVID-19 vaccines work or vaccines and fertility, please contact us for an initial consultation. We are here to help.
