Covid -19 vaccines was approved for prevention of covid-19 disease by food and administration (FDA) under emergency use authorization (EUA). Although vaccines are safe for use, they have some side effects.
Some of the people think that vaccine use cause fertility problems. This kind of misinformation has been swirling around internet since the vaccine released in December 2020.
Due to the sharing of unreliable link, videos and memes that claims vaccine causes impairment in fertility, spreading of misinformation has been accelerated. But rumors are rumors.
Many health experts say this information is just rumor and there is no link between the vaccine and pregnancy.
Health organizations society for maternal-fetal medicine and American college of obstetricians and gynecologists (ACOG) recommended that people get pregnant after getting shot of covid-19 vaccine so there is no link between them.
Centers for the disease control and prevention (CDC) focus on the evidences that cause infertility but fortunately no evidence has been found related to pregnancy impairment.
CDC states that there is no problem of getting vaccine and you really don’t need to avoid vaccine if you want to conceive a baby. You can easily get pregnant after getting vaccine.
Dr. José Mayorga, the executive director of the University of California Irvine’s Health Family Health Center and an assistant clinical professor of family medicine at the UCI School of Medicine suggested that vaccine does not affect fertility and this s also proven in some clinical trials.
According to a survey, In United States around 1, 00,000 people get pregnant after getting covid-19 vaccine.
In a research that has been carried out in 35,000 pregnant people who got mRNA covid-19 vaccine. As a result no evidences have been found related to the affect of vaccine on pregnancy, or any harm caused in the pregnant people.
Reason behind the myth
The myth of the impairment of pregnancy by vaccine was derived after the statement of German physician. In December 2020, Dr. Wolfgang Wodarg show concern regarding the protein occur in the messenger RNA vaccine and had similar structure to the protein named syncytin-1 which helps to develop placenta in pregnancy.
Having same structure, spike protein and syncytin-1 share same small piece of genetic code which makes this more concern and the fear of triggering immune response to attack placenta developed and circulated although there is no evidence of this.
According to the pointer institute, wodarg gave misleading statements in the past months. in 2020 he said that novel corona virus was not harmful to the human despite having all evidences contrary.
Some of the researchers and medical experts worried about the genetic material of vaccine could make changes in host DNA after the Wodarg statement had been public, even though this was impossible the changes in DNA.
People spread these false statements on social media that works as key driver to develop vaccine hesitancy to those people, who were planning to get pregnant after getting vaccinated. About 25 % of the young women didn’t want to take vaccine due to their thinking about pregnancy.
The vaccines has no impact fertility
The myth was all over the internet and become a matter of concern. But in actual there is no impact of vaccine on pregnancy was found.
Dr. Jill Rabin an OB-GYN and professor at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in Manhasset, New York stated that “There is absolutely no evidence that vaccines, and in particular the COVID-19 vaccines, impact fertility,”
Even Dr. Rabin recommends to those people who are pregnant, breastfeeding and planning to become a mother to get covid-19 vaccine shot.
The mRNA vaccine contains mRNA present on the corona virus surface that goes to your body and gives a lesson to the cells to produce spike protein that causes immune response. Immune response includes the production of antibodies and protection against viral infection.
Once immune system starts to produce antibodies, the genetic material of vaccine destroyed and discarded. mRNA is not a stable protein and do not replicate in the host cells and degraded in the body hence mRNA do not cause any kind of genetic change in body.
Dr. mayorga says that mRNA ia like a genetic manual that has the instruction on how to produce spike protein and this manual thrown away after producing the antibodies. This manual doesn’t stay in the body especially cannot be entered in the nucleus of the cell where genetic material of cell exists. “
How to combat fears
After seeing the fear of this false statement, Dr. Rabin said , Physicians and healthcare professionals starts to work on the mission to share real and vetted scientific information with people and assure them that there’s no evidence the vaccines can cause any hurdle in pregnancy or covid-19 and pregnancy are related to each other in any aspects. t o a loss of fertility, said Rabin.
“My advice for teens and parents concerned that the vaccine could impact fertility administration is to reassure them that the science does not show this,” Rabin said
COVID-19 can be a life threatening disease with serious short and long-term illness. Even though covid-19 vaccine shows similar side effects as the symptoms of corona, they are manageable somehow and vaccine protects you from being severely ill.
Dr. mayorga conducted a seminar for the teens who were interested in covid-10 vaccine and he answered all the queries and also explained the mechanism of action of mRNA vaccine in human body. He also shared some drawn images and videos about what happens in body after getting a shot.
He also answered the patient’s question related to the covid-19 vaccine and pregnancy.
Mayorga said “As I reflect back on this talk, I realized that as physicians, we need to continue to approach each patient differently and try different tactics to help educate, empower, and debunk the myths circulating,”
After knowing the real facts about covid-19 vaccine and pregnancy don’t get blind by the myths and go for a vaccine. If you are not feeling comfortable or have any doubt than go to your doctor get a consultation.
But finally get a covid-19 vaccine if you are planning to get pregnant. Covid-19 vaccine prevents you and your baby from the future infections of corona virus.
