COVID & Fertility

Does COVID-19 or the COVID Vaccine Affect Fertility?

While life has slowly gotten back to a semblance of normalcy, it sometimes seems that the COVID-19 pandemic will never end. And many women who have put pregnancy attempts on hold due to coronavirus concerns are getting very anxious to start trying to conceive again.

But, while mask debates continue to rage in Austin and across the country, many of our patients have serious questions about the affect the COVID-19 virus may have on fertility. And other patients who wish to become pregnant have expressed concerns about how the COVID-19 vaccine may affect their ability to conceive a child, or their partner’s ability to father a child.

In this article Austin, TX fertility expert Dr. Ruthie Harper discusses the most current research on the impact of COVID-19 on the ability to conceive a child. And she also looks at the facts and the myths about the COVID-19 vaccine’s potential impact on fertility.

COVID-19 and Female Fertility

Now that we are well into the second year of the pandemic, more and more data has been collected on the effect of the coronavirus on pregnant mothers and the fetus during pregnancy. Doctors around the world are noting that because of the immunosuppression and increased respiratory demands of pregnancy, pregnant mothers who are infected with COVID-19 must be very closely monitored. It has also been demonstrated that in several cases, COVID-19 during pregnancy may pose certain increased risks to the baby, including preterm birth, restricted development and/or lower birth weight.

But, while much data has been collected on COVID-19 and pregnancy, it is still too early for medical science to completely understand the long-term effects of COVID-19 infection on fertility and a woman’s ability to conceive a child.

Some good news is that other viruses that are closely related to the COVID-19 coronavirus, such as the SARS and MERS viruses, have been studied extensively for a number of years. Fortunately, the collected data has not found that these related viruses are associated with infertility in any clinical research. So, many in the medical community are optimistic that COVID-19 infection will not have a serious long-term impact on a woman’s fertility.

To date, two preliminary studies conducted specifically on the COVID-19 virus have shown a possible relationship between the SARS-CoV-2 virus and disruption in fertility and disturbance of certain female reproductive functions. ^{1, 2}

A third study reported in the Journal of Medical Internet Research also showed data indicating that some young adults experienced both sexual and reproductive health problems due to COVID-19 infection. ³

It appears that the severity of the woman’s COVID infection may hold the key to whether there are long term fertility implications. For example, any infection, particularly an infection that involves a high fever, can have an effect on ovulation.

While most young women with COVID-19 improve within a few weeks, others experience “long-haul” post-COVID health problems that can last months after first being infected. And because post-COVID conditions are extremely varied and differ greatly from person to person, they are not yet well understood. So, the jury is still out on whether there may be lasting fertility implications for women who have undergone “long-haul” COVID.

COVID-19 and Male Fertility

While evidence is still inconclusive on COVID-19’s effect on female fertility, there is already very strong evidence that fertility and sexual function may be disrupted in some men who have had the coronavirus. Data shows that males who suffered a severe case of COVID-19 requiring hospitalization are the most likely to exhibit fertility complications.

A study was conducted in China on previously fertile men who had already fathered at least one child without any reproductive assistance. The data from that research reported that 39% of these previously fertile male patients had clinically low sperm counts after recovering from the coronavirus.

In an unrelated study, semen samples were taken from recovered male COVID-19 patients and 33% (one-third) showed low sperm quality and reduced ability of sperm to swim. Additionally, 25% of the males in the study reported decreased sex drive.

Another study done in Florida conducted biopsies on deceased COVID-19 patients and showed that 50% of the men studied showed damage to the seminiferous tubules where sperm develops likely indicating that COVID-19 may impair the ability to produce sperm. This damage was described as swelling and congestion of the testes, likely due to localized infection from the COVID-19 virus.

Because COVID-19 has been present for less than 2 years, medical science is still exploring whether the negative effects of coronavirus infection on male fertility are temporary or might be long-lasting.

The COVID-19 Vaccine and Fertility

While COVID-19 may have an impact on ovulation in women, and has been definitely proven to affect men’s fertility, there is some good news. Repeated clinical studies have shown that the COVID-19 vaccine appears to have no negative impact on women’s or men’s fertility!

A recent study conducted by the University of Miami analyzed semen samples from healthy men before their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, and then again 70 days after their second vaccine dose. The results of that research showed no decreases in any sperm-measuring parameters after getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

And while women’s fertility markers are harder to measure than men’s, no medical, scientific, or anecdotal evidence has been found that establishes any relationship between the COVID-19 vaccine and a reduction in female fertility or a negative impact on women’s reproductive organs. Additionally, the COVID vaccine appears to have no effect on an egg that’s been released or fertilized.

Fertility Doctor | Austin, TX

While there is no evidence that the vaccine poses a risk to men or women’s fertility, or to women who are pregnant, there is evidence that coronavirus infection itself definitely impacts male sperm counts. And there is significant evidence that contracting the COVID-19 infection is much more dangerous for pregnant women than it is for the general population.

If you are trying to conceive, are struggling with fertility issues, or have fertility concerns after having suffered from COVID-19, Dr. Ruthie Harper is here to help you. She can conduct thorough testing to identify the underlying causes of infertility and put together an individualized treatment plan to help your body be in the best position possible to conceive.

Fertility Doctor | Austin, TX: 512.343.9355

Citations:

¹Jing Y, Run-Qian L, Hao-Ran W, et al. Potential influence of COVID-19/ACE2 on the female reproductive system. Mol Hum Reprod 2020;26:367–73

²Li R, Yin T, Fang F, et al. Potential risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection on reproductive health. Reprod Biomed Online 2020;41:89

³Li G, Tang D, Song B, et al. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on partner relationships and sexual and reproductive health: cross-sectional, online survey study. J Med Internet Res 2020;22:e20961.

FERTILITY BLOG

Thank you for visiting our Blog, where Dr. Harper keeps you updated on the latest treatments, technologies and information in the field of natural fertility medicine.

Dr. Ruthie Harper opened her internationally recognized medical practice in Austin, Texas, in 1999. Since that time, she has consulted with more than 10,000 patients, offering the most advanced techniques in natural, holistic and integrative health and wellness.

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