Chloe Ramirez
There is no evidence that the approved COVID-19 vaccines can impact the capacity to conceive children. Several scientists have proven that the similarities between the COVID-19 spike protein and the syncytin-1 protein are too small for the immune system to confuse the two. According to the CDC, there is no risk of getting COVID-19 from the vaccine, and the mRNA does not enter the nucleus of the cell or interact with a person's DNA. The J&J vaccine is also not a cause of infertility, as it is a viral vector vaccine that uses a substitute virus to carry a portion of the coronavirus' genetic code. During animal clinical trials, none of the vaccines had negative effects on fertility, and some participants in human trials became pregnant.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Does the COVID-19 vaccine cause infertility? | No evidence that the approved COVID-19 vaccines can impact the capacity to conceive children. |
| What do fertility specialists say? | The rumor that the vaccine targets a spike protein similar to a placenta protein has been debunked. There is no data to suggest that the vaccine causes fertility or infertility. |
| What do official organizations say? | The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine released a statement assuring that there is no evidence that the approved COVID-19 vaccines can impact fertility. |
| What about pregnancy? | The CDC recommends signing up for v-safe, a smartphone tool that helps track your health after getting the vaccine if you become pregnant within 30 days of receiving your final dose. |
| What about historical data on vaccines? | Historically, vaccines have contributed to women's health and successful pregnancies. Pregnant women are routinely vaccinated against seasonal flu and whooping cough. |
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What You'll Learn
COVID-19 vaccines do not impact fertility
The concerns about the impact of COVID-19 vaccines on fertility seem to stem from misinformation spread by people opposed to vaccines. The misinformation claims that the vaccine contains a protein similar to one found in the human placenta, which could potentially lead the body to attack this protein and affect fertility. However, this claim has been debunked by scientists who have proven that the similarities between the two proteins are too small for the immune system to confuse them.
The mechanism of mRNA vaccines further supports the assertion that they do not impact fertility. mRNA vaccines do not contain a weakened or inactivated version of the virus, and they do not interact with a person's DNA. Instead, they provide instructions for cells to create spike proteins, which trigger the production of protective antibodies. Given this mechanism, COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are not believed to cause an increased risk of infertility.
Additionally, initial studies on animals for the Moderna vaccine showed no impact on female reproduction or fetal development. Furthermore, a recent study on the association between COVID-19 vaccination status and IVF-fresh embryo transfer cycle stimulation characteristics found no significant differences in ongoing clinical pregnancy rates between vaccinated and unvaccinated patients. The study also found that vaccinated patients had higher mean fertilization rates than unvaccinated patients.
While there may be limited research specifically focused on fertility due to the exclusion of pregnant individuals from clinical trials, the available data and understanding of vaccine mechanisms indicate that COVID-19 vaccines do not impact fertility.
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Vaccines do not cause infertility
There is no evidence that the approved COVID-19 vaccines can impact the capacity to conceive children. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine have all released statements assuring patients that there is no evidence that the approved COVID-19 vaccines cause infertility.
The concern that COVID-19 vaccines cause infertility stems from the fact that a protein called syncytin-1, which is found in the placenta in mammals, shares similar genetic instructions with part of the COVID-19 spike protein. It is believed that if the vaccine causes the body to produce antibodies against the spike protein, it will also cause it to produce antibodies to syncytin-1, leading to infertility. However, this theory has been debunked by several scientists, including Eduardo Hariton, a clinical fellow in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the University of California, San Francisco. Hariton explains that the genetic sequences of the spike protein and syncytin-1 are too different for the immune system to be confused by the two.
Furthermore, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine COVID-19 Task Force issued a statement in January 2021, stating that "available data indicate that COVID-19 vaccines do not cause infertility in women". The Society for Male Reproduction and Urology and the Society for the Study of Male Reproduction have also asserted that the COVID-19 vaccine should not be withheld from men desiring fertility who meet the criteria for vaccination.
While there have been reports of adverse reactions to the vaccine in pregnant individuals, the data is unvetted and raw, and there is no proof that the adverse events can be linked to the vaccines. The CDC recommends that women who are planning to get pregnant can choose to get a vaccine when one is available, and that women who get the vaccine do not need to avoid pregnancy afterward.
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Vaccines are safe for pregnant women
There is no evidence that vaccines impact fertility or cause infertility. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine have all released statements assuring patients that there is no evidence that the approved COVID-19 vaccines can impact the capacity to conceive children. Initial studies on animals for the Moderna vaccine also showed no impact on female reproduction or fetal development. Several scientists have also proven that the similarities between the COVID spike protein and syncytin-1 are too small for the immune system to confuse the two.
The CDC's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System received 111 reports of adverse reactions to the vaccine in pregnant individuals. However, the data is unvetted and raw, and anyone can submit a report. As of February 10, 2021, the National Institutes of Health called for the greater inclusion of pregnant and lactating people in COVID-19 vaccine research. Reproductive health experts have advocated for including pregnant individuals in vaccine trials to provide more data for people to make informed decisions.
According to the CDC, the benefits of getting the COVID-19 vaccine outweigh the risks for pregnant women and their babies. The CDC stated that until January 2025, the COVID-19 vaccine was "especially important" for pregnant women. ECRI, a global independent healthcare and patient safety nonprofit, conducted a clinical evidence assessment of the health consequences for pregnant women and their babies who received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. The assessment included almost 300 studies and nine additional studies completed since January 2025. The results suggest that mRNA vaccines are safe and effective for pregnant women and their babies.
In addition to COVID-19 vaccines, other vaccines such as the HPV vaccine have also been found to be safe for pregnant women. The CDC is aware of public concern about the safety of the HPV vaccine, and findings from vaccine safety monitoring systems and over 160 studies have shown that HPV vaccines have a favorable safety profile. The body of scientific evidence supports the safety of HPV vaccines, and the CDC and FDA have not found any proof that HPV vaccines cause reproductive problems in women.
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Vaccines do not affect reproductive health
There is no evidence that the approved COVID-19 vaccines can impact reproductive health or the capacity to conceive children. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine have all released statements assuring patients that there is no risk of infertility from the COVID-19 vaccines.
The vaccines are messenger RNA vaccines, or mRNA, which do not contain a weakened or inactivated version of the virus. The mRNA provides instructions for cells to make their own spike proteins, prompting the body to generate protective antibodies and activate T cells. Because the mRNA does not enter the nucleus of the cell, it does not affect or interact with a person's DNA. The cells break down the mRNA fairly quickly after making the spike protein.
The J&J vaccine is not an mRNA vaccine but a "viral vector" vaccine. It uses a substitute virus that carries a portion of the coronavirus' genetic code. The immune system recognizes the foreign substance and creates antibodies to destroy it. The substitute virus in the vaccine can enter cells but cannot cause infection. This vaccine has also been shown to have no negative effects on fertility in animal clinical trials.
While there have been reports of adverse reactions to the vaccine in pregnant individuals, the data is unvetted and raw, and anyone can submit a report. As of now, there is no evidence that the vaccine causes any problems with becoming pregnant now or in the future. In fact, a study of more than 2,000 females aged 21-45 years and their partners found that COVID-19 vaccination did not affect the likelihood of becoming pregnant.
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Vaccines do not affect pregnancy success rates
There is no evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine affects fertility or pregnancy success rates. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine have all released statements assuring patients that there is no evidence that the approved COVID-19 vaccines impact fertility or the capacity to conceive children.
The CDC has also stated that there is "no risk" of getting COVID-19 from the vaccine, and because the mRNA doesn't enter the nucleus of the cell, it does not interact with or affect a person's DNA. The CDC recommends that women who are trying to get pregnant now or in the future, as well as their partners, stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines.
Studies including hundreds of thousands of people worldwide show that COVID-19 vaccination before and during pregnancy is safe and effective for both the pregnant woman and the baby. The benefits of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine outweigh any potential risks of vaccination during pregnancy. Data shows that COVID-19 vaccines do not cause COVID-19 in pregnant women or their babies, and there is no increased risk for complications such as miscarriage, preterm delivery, stillbirth, or birth defects.
Additionally, COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy helps to build antibodies that can protect the baby. Receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy can help protect babies under the age of 6 months from hospitalization due to COVID-19. Most babies hospitalized with COVID-19 were born to pregnant women who were not vaccinated during pregnancy.
A study from Israel's Sheba Medical Center, published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Fertility and Sterility, found no difference in the rate of pregnancy between the vaccinated and unvaccinated test groups. The study concluded that the mRNA coronavirus vaccines have no negative effect on frozen-thawed embryo transfer, which is the core practice of IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization).
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Frequently asked questions
No, there is no evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine impacts fertility or causes infertility.
The COVID-19 vaccine targets a spike protein that shares a small segment of genetic code with a placenta protein. This led people to ask whether antibodies made by the immune system would attack the virus or the baby's placenta. However, this theory has been debunked by doctors, who say there is no data to suggest that the vaccine causes fertility issues.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine have all stated that there is no evidence that approved COVID-19 vaccines impact fertility.
Yes, unvaccinated pregnant women have an increased risk of severe illness due to COVID-19. Getting sick with COVID-19 while pregnant increases the chances of needing intensive care and a ventilator, which can put the unborn child at higher risk for preterm birth.
If you have concerns or questions about the COVID-19 vaccine and fertility, it's important to discuss the risks and benefits with your healthcare provider.
