Vaccine misinformation provides fertile ground for infertility myth

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This article was published 03/06/2021 (1817 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Almost daily, a local fertility clinic fields questions about whether COVID-19 vaccines are safe for women who are pregnant, trying to get pregnant or who plan to have children.

The answer is yes.

However, such queries have been persistent, as new research about COVID-19 emerges amid a pervasive myth vaccines could cause infertility.

“It is something that we are confronting, and being asked quite a bit,” said Dr. Gordon McTavish, medical director of the Heartland Fertility Clinic in Winnipeg.

He estimates 90 per cent of his patients are women who have been vaccinated and were eager to get the shot, but added there are others relying on misinformation on social media that has falsely linked infertility to vaccines.

“The questions are out there and people are concerned,” McTavish said. “But we are encouraging everybody to get the vaccine and be reassured that it’s a safe vaccine.”

The myth persists mainly among younger, otherwise healthy women.

A Winnipeg nurse who works with COVID-19 patients told the Free Press some of her colleagues are reluctant to get vaccinated, and the infertility misinformation had been discussed at work. A 19-year-old woman who recently booked her vaccine appointment said fertility concerns played a part in her initial hesitation, along with the fear of injecting an “unknown substance” into her body.

Both women spoke on the condition of anonymity.

COVID-19 vaccines have no link to female or male reproduction, and data from other countries during the pandemic has shown no increased risk of miscarriage or ability to conceive after being vaccinated.

Last week, Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization updated its recommendations to make clear women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should be offered both doses of an mRNA vaccine (such as Pfizer or Moderna). Pregnant women were left out of initial clinical trials, but reliable data proving its safety has since been collected, including from the United States.

Dr. Vanessa Poliquin, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Health Sciences Centre Women’s Hospital, and a specialist in reproductive infectious diseases, is a co-chair of the infectious diseases committee of the Society for Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada. The organization issued a statement last week reaffirming vaccines are safe for pregnant women.

Poliquin said the infertility myth stems from a false belief the spike protein in the COVID-19 virus is similar to a protein required for placental implantation, and if antibodies to the virus are developed via a vaccine, the body will attack the placenta protein.

“But the fact of the matter is that they are completely different proteins, so if you develop antibodies against the (COVID-19) spike protein, you’re not going to develop antibodies towards this other protein required for placental implantation,” Poliquin said.

If the claims were true, women who have been infected with COVID-19 would be more likely to suffer miscarriages, but there is no evidence of that. A recent study of 4,000 vaccinated women in the U.S. showed no increased risk of miscarriage.

Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead of Manitoba’s vaccine task force, addressed the infertility myth during a May 19 news conference, saying 1.5 billion doses of vaccines have been administered around the world, with no reports of fertility issues.

There is evidence, however, the virus hits pregnant women harder, making them four to five times more likely to be hospitalized with a COVID-19 infection and at higher risk of pre-term birth, Poliquin said.

“The risk of not being vaccinated is real, not hypothetical, and I think that’s where people need to shift their focus. There is a real risk of COVID-19 and there is no scientifically substantiated risk that this vaccine affects fertility.”

There are normal side-effects to COVID-19 vaccines. In addition to the typical reports of sore arm, fatigue or fever, some women have reported irregular menstrual periods or noticing lumps under their arms because of swollen lymph nodes post-vaccination. Swollen lymph nodes signal a good immune response, and the uterine lining is also part of the body’s immune response system.

Dr. Carol Scurfield, medical director of Women’s Health Clinic, said some women have told her they had an irregular period after being vaccinated. She said that’s normal and shouldn’t last long. Swollen lymph nodes should only last up to six weeks.

The infertility myth is still the main vaccine concern Scurfield said she hears. It makes sense some women feel very protective of their fertility and might have some distrust of the medical system, she said, but they need accurate information from people they trust — including doctors, co-workers, neighbours and friends.

“I think it’s about allowing them to express their concerns and take them seriously, and figure out what works best for them and for their families, and for the other people that they’re going to protect if they choose to vaccinate,” Scurfield said.

katie.may@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @thatkatiemay