If you are trying to conceive, undergoing fertility treatments, or are already pregnant, you may be wondering whether you should take the covid-19 vaccine or not. 

Unfortunately, there was a widely spread myth that the covid-19 vaccine would cause infertility. 

This article debunks the falseness of this belief among many women to help you make an informed decision. 

The Truth Behind The Myth

While many people are aware that the coronavirus is real, there are others who believe the virus is nothing more than another strain of the flu.

Perhaps because they don’t personally know anyone who has died as a result of the virus, so “it can’t be that bad”!

The myth about the coronavirus causing infertility started when conspiracy theories attracted a worldwide following on social media, and because of a fictional series called Utopia.

A large number of healthcare workers have hesitated to take the covid-19 vaccine.

Many of those people used social media to create conspiracy theories against the vaccine. 

One of their concerns was the impact of the vaccine on a protein called syncytin-1, which has some small genetic similarities to the coronavirus spike protein. 

Syncytin-1 is involved in the formation of the placenta – the organ that develops in the uterus during pregnancy to provide oxygen and nutrients to the growing baby. 

Misconception 1: the vaccine might trigger an immune response against syncytin-1, rendering women infertile.

Response 1:  The coronavirus’s spike protein and syncytin-1 are only similar on such a tiny level. 

They actually share small stretches of the same genetic code, but not enough to make them a match. 

Think of it as two people whose phone numbers are different but share one similar digit. 

It’s not like you will dial one number to reach the other person. 

Besides, if the vaccine could trigger an immune response against the placental protein, so could an actual COVID-19 infection. 

With that being said, millions of women around the world who suffered COVID-19 over the past year are suddenly unable to have children – which is untrue!

Anti-vaccine activists also claim that our real life pandemic shares resemblance with much of the plot of a miniseries called Utopia.  

Utopia, broadcasted on Amazon Prime, tells the story of a scientist who aims to depopulate the earth with a pandemic. 

The drugmaker created the illusion of a flu pandemic to convince people to get vaccinated. 

He finally reveals that the vaccine doesn’t prevent infection, but is rather designed to make people infertile in order to radically reduce the world’s population.

Misconception 2: The show’s resemblance to our real life pandemic is a reflection of what could happen if you get vaccinated. 

Response 2: According to a spokesperson for Amazon, the series is pure fiction and was written and filmed prior to the covid-19 pandemic. 

The series is based off of the 2013 British series by the same name. 

I am not certain it’s entirely responsible to release this series into the world as it is right now.

However, prior to vaccine trials, women were given pregnancy tests and were immediately excluded from the study if they were already pregnant. 

This certainly raises the question about the effect of the vaccine on pregnancy.

No wonder why many women are still reluctant about taking the covid-19 vaccine. 

Misconception 3: The vaccine alters fertility patterns and pregnancy since pregnant women were not included in the vaccine trials. 

Response 3: Although pregnant women were not included in the vaccine trials, a few dozen women who participated in the trials became pregnant, likely by accident. 

Those pregnant women continued as part of the study with no safety problems.

Although the number is small, it points to a similar rate of pregnancy among vaccinated and unvaccinated women.

Several pregnancy and fertility healthcare provider organizations recommend COVID-19 vaccination for:

• people who are trying to or planning to conceive
• patients undergoing fertility treatment
• women who are pregnant already

These include ACOG, ASRM, and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM).

Trials and common medical knowledge indicate that there are no strong safety concerns for vaccination in pregnant people.

However, you better weigh the risks and benefits of vaccination with your doctor. 

Reference:

Soygur, Bikem. “The role of syncytins in human reproduction and reproductive organ cancers.” Society For Reproduction and Fertility, vol. 152, no. 5, 2016. Reproduction, https://rep.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/rep/152/5/R167.xml.

Vineyard, Jennifer. “Gillian Flynn Knows ‘Utopia’ Has ‘Unsettling’ Covid Parallels.” NY Times, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/20/arts/television/utopia-gillian-flynn.html.