Couples who were vaccinated against COVID-19 did not have a lower likelihood of getting pregnant, but previous infection with SARS-CoV-2 could affect male fertility, according to a prospective study.
Both female and male partners who had at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose did not face lower chances of getting pregnant than unvaccinated patients (female fecundability ratio [FR] 1.08, 95% CI 0.95-1.23; male FR 0.95, 95% CI 0.83-1.10).
However, couples who had a male partner infected with SARS-CoV-2 within 60 days of the menstrual cycle had an 18% lower likelihood of achieving pregnancy (FR 0.82, 95% CI 0.47-1.40), suggesting that COVID-19 illness could negatively impact male fertility in the short-term, reported Amelia Wesselink, PhD, of Boston University, and colleagues.
Previous infection with SARS-CoV-2 among female partners was not associated with a lower likelihood of conception (FR 1.07, 95% CI 0.87-1.31), according to their study in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
“This is good evidence that COVID vaccination doesn’t cause infertility, but that COVID itself might affect fertility in the short term,” Wesselink said in an interview.
These findings, in addition to what we know about the dangers of COVID-19 illness in pregnancy, show that “the preconception period is a really great time to get vaccinated,” she added.
The findings provide healthcare providers with additional data showing that vaccines do not affect fertility outcomes, which will support them in counseling their patients, said James Grifo, MD, director of the NYU Langone Fertility Center in New York City, who was not involved in this study.
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