Experts have reiterated that the social media posts saying Pfizer vaccine could cause infertility in women are unfounded and baseless, reports BBC.
Denying such allegations, Prof Lucy Chappell, a spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “There is no plausible biological mechanism by which the vaccine could affect your fertility.”
The Pfizer vaccine works by sending a message to the body, allowing it to manufacture a harmless fragment of the coronavirus's distinctive spike. It does not affect one’s own genetic information.
A virologist at the University of Leeds, Prof Nicola Stonehouse, said: “There was no possible way she could think of that this could have an impact on reproductive health.”
About the vaccine side effects on fertility, Prof Stonehouse said: “You're much more likely to have fertility issues post-Covid than after the vaccine.”
Some rumours spread in social media that suggest that the vaccine could threaten fertility because it contains proteins also used to make the placenta, so this could lead the body to attack the placenta.
While the vaccine incorporates a protein that is slightly similar to the one used in the placenta's growth, it is not similar enough to confuse the body.
Vaccines are specially designed for the most distinctive parts of the virus's spike to make sure it only recognizes that.
Prof Chappell, who specializes in pregnant women’s health, said she had no concerns about fertility and the Covid-19 vaccine.
Also the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, Jonathan Van-Tam told BBC that he has never heard of a vaccine that affects fertility.
Pregnant women are usually not included in clinical trials - including those for the Covid-19 vaccine.
The UK government addresses this issue by saying that the vaccines have not yet been tested in pregnancy.
“Until more information is available, pregnant women should not routinely have this vaccine.”
Experts say pregnant women can receive the vaccine balancing risks.
Anything as simple as a painkiller carries a minor chance of ulcers and internal bleeding. Yet when used properly, the effect for most patients is so slight that the benefits of treating comparatively moderate pain outweigh it.
It has been considered that the effects of avoiding an infection that we believe can be life-threatening are much greater than the potential risk of vaccines.
