4 Common Question Women Ask about The COVID-19 Vaccines

The public has expressed a lot of apprehension about the COVID-19 vaccine, for fear of it, causing severe side effects or that it is a way for the government to insert trackers and chips inside of its citizens. As a health care provider, I feel as though I have heard just about every misconception and myth there is about this vaccine.

I understand the hesitation and I believe that the decision to have the vaccine is a personal one. However, I strongly feel that it is necessary and should be considered by everyone who is eligible to have it. I’m not oblivious to the fact that in order for people to be willing to try a new pharmaceutical, they must trust that the drug will work for their condition and have faith that it will not harm them. Unfortunately, the only thing most providers can guarantee with a new drug or vaccine, is what has been indicated in research. Research and science do not provide all the answers, but it has led to many successes and advancements in medicine to date.

In my opinion, the COVID-19 vaccine had a bad reputation even before it was approved by the FDA. Surrounded by the political influence and rhetoric of those who were not knowledgeable or unqualified, it was disregarded even before it had the chance to be administered to the public. So, in order to help the community understand the necessity and most importantly, become comfortable with getting vaccinated, health care professionals must debunk myths and be able to provide information that is supported by evidence.

Having said that, I have received many messages and emails from women who are concerned about the vaccine causing infertility and miscarriage. I’ve also heard from many women who have already been vaccinated, and now have concerns about changes in their menstrual cycle. To help address these concerns and many other fears that women face when making the decision to get vaccinated, I have listed a few commonly asked questions in hopes that this will bring some clarity and ease to women everywhere.

1. Will the COVID-19 vaccine cause infertility?

When I received this question from a patient, I wondered how this myth came about. After researching, I learned that it derived from misleading comments made by a German epidemiologist who believed that the COVID-19 vaccines might make a woman’s body reject a protein that is connected to the formation of the placenta, therefore making women infertile. He believed this because the genetic code of the placenta protein (called syncytin-1) shares a hint of similarity with the genetic code in the spike protein found in the vaccines. If the vaccines caused our bodies to make antibodies to protect us from COVID-19, he thought, they could also make antibodies to reject the placenta.

This misleading theory spread like wildfire through word of mouth, social media, and anti-vaccine groups. However, this risk was completely disproven in the clinical trials and continues to be disproven in real time as more women of reproductive age are becoming vaccinated. According to The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG), there is currently no evidence that any vaccine, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause fertility problems in women or in men.

However, there are some emerging studies that indicate that the actual COVID-19 virus may cause infertility in men.

2. If I get pregnant, will the COVID-19 vaccine cause me to have a miscarriage?

Unfortunately, miscarriages can occur in any pregnancy and are pretty common. About 10-20% of pregnancies end in miscarriages. This usually occurs not from environmental reasons or vaccines, but because of chromosomal abnormalities during early fetal development. Research indicates that COVID-19 vaccines do not cause miscarriages, birth defects, or complications with pregnancy. A study reported that there was not an increase in miscarriages among 2,456 people who received a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine before 20 weeks of pregnancy (when a miscarriage can happen).

3. Is it safe to have the COVID-19 vaccination while pregnant and breastfeeding?

The first round of studies did not include pregnant women. However, evidence about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccinations during pregnancy is growing. The data that we do have suggest that the benefits of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine outweigh any known or potential risks of vaccination during pregnancy. When the vaccines were studied in animals before or during pregnancy, there were no adverse pregnancy outcomes.

In addition, women who were pregnant and received the vaccine were placed in a voluntary safety monitoring system, in which they were monitored for any adverse effects to themselves or their baby. The v-safe monitoring system allowed researchers to gather information about COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy, and the data did not find any safety concerns for pregnant women or their babies. In addition, the vaccine was proven to be safe in breastfeeding women and can actually assist in passing on immunity from the mother to the baby.

Conversely, women who contract COVID-19 while pregnant, tend to have adverse outcomes. They generally become sicker when compared to non-pregnant women and the virus is linked to pre-term labor and birth defects. Therefore, medical professionals are urging women to get vaccinated to avoid these outcomes.

4. Does the vaccine affect a woman’s menstrual cycle?

There have been reports of women receiving their period earlier or later than usual after taking the vaccine. Some women have even reported light spotting in between their menstrual cycles and more painful cramps with their periods. Unfortunately, none of the vaccine clinical trials studied its effects on a woman’s cycle. But what we do know is that any stressor on the body generally affects the menstrual cycle. Things such as stress, weight changes, certain medications, and substance abuse (to name a few) can impact the menstrual cycle. Vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccines, are no different.

One theory is that the immune system is connected to building and shedding of the lining of the uterus. During the menstrual cycle, the lining of the uterus builds up in preparation for a pregnancy. If pregnancy does not occur, it will slough off the tissue (menses) and the immune system is thought to be involved in this process. So, when you add vaccines into the equation, there can be temporary disruptions in a woman’s menstrual cycle. The good news is that these changes are temporary, and most women can be reassured that their periods will return to normal.

I hope that this post has been helpful, be sure to do your research and use credible sources when seeking information about the COVID-19 vaccine. There is a lot of misleading information out there. If you want to make an educated and well-informed decision about your health, be sure to talk to your doctor and research professional organizations such as the CDC and ACOG. Below are some resources that will provide you with more information.

Be well,

Shalonna