World

Covid-19 jab won’t impact fertility, Johns Hopkins duo assure

US medicine experts say women actively trying to conceive can receive the vaccines currently available without fear

Updated 5 years ago · Published on 20 May 2021 2:30PM

Covid-19 jab won’t impact fertility, Johns Hopkins duo assure
False information has it that a spike protein associated with Covid-19 is the same as another called syncitin-1, which is involved in the growth and attachment of the placenta during pregnancy. – Pixabay pic, May 20, 2021

WASHINGTON – One of the most common misleading rumours regarding the Covid-19 vaccine is that it will impact fertility, which experts said is not based on fact and is a claim that has been repeatedly debunked, reported the Xinhua news agency, quoting Fox News, yesterday.

It is believed that such false reports first surfaced on social media and included misinformation about the spike protein associated with the coronavirus.

The incorrect information claimed this spike protein to be the same as another called syncitin-1, which is involved in the growth and attachment of the placenta during pregnancy.

According to the claims, the Covid-19 jab will cause a woman’s body to fight the spike protein, impacting fertility.

“The two spike proteins are completely different, and getting the Covid-19 vaccine will not affect the fertility of women seeking to become pregnant, including through in vitro fertilisation,” Johns Hopkins medicine experts Andrew Satin and Jeanne Sheffield were quoted as saying.

Satin, director of gynaecology and obstetrics, and Sheffield, director of maternal-foetal medicine, pointed to Pfizer-BioNTech’s trial data as evidence.

During the clinical trial, 23 female volunteers became pregnant, and the only one to suffer a miscarriage was in the placebo group.

“Women actively trying to conceive may be vaccinated with the current Covid-19 vaccines available. There is no reason to delay pregnancy after completing the vaccine series,” said Satin and Sheffield.

Their findings echo those of the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which has said there is “no evidence that any vaccines, including Covid-19 vaccines, cause fertility problems – problems trying to get pregnant”.

“CDC does not recommend routine pregnancy testing before Covid-19 vaccination.

“If you are trying to become pregnant, you do not need to avoid pregnancy after receiving a Covid-19 vaccine. Like with all vaccines, scientists are studying Covid-19 vaccines carefully for side effects and reporting findings as they become available.” – Bernama, May 20, 2021

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