No, The COVID-19 Vaccine Is Not Going To Harm Your Child's Fertility

Covid-19 vaccines for children do not cause infertility

While some parents are eager to vaccinate their children against COVID-19, others have been reluctant to offer their kiddos arms for the jab. Some parents have cited the fear of future infertility issues for their little ones as part of their uncertainty.

Good news.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has announced that there is no evidence that this is the case. “Unfounded claims linking COVID-19 vaccines to infertility have been scientifically disproven,” the AAP says in a statement on its website.

“There is no evidence that the vaccine can lead to loss of fertility. While fertility was not specifically studied in the clinical trials of the vaccine, no loss of fertility has been reported among trial participants or among the millions who have received the vaccines since their authorization, and no signs of infertility appeared in animal studies,” the statement continues.

“Similarly, there is no evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine affects puberty.”

What’s more, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists encourages women to get the COVID-19 vaccine. “Leading medical organizations have repeatedly affirmed that the COVID-19 vaccines have no impact on fertility,” the ACOG says in a statement.

Male fertility is similarly unaffected, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

CNN reports Dr. Peter Marks, who leads the FDA’s vaccine division, said in a news conference, “If it was affecting fertility, if natural infection was affecting fertility, then birth rates should have gone down, but that’s not what happened. Birth rates have actually gone up slightly. So, those are two pieces of evidence that argue against this vaccine or natural infection in any sense affecting fertility.”

“These vaccines have been evaluated in a variety of studies before they made it to the clinic and they’ve been now given to many, many millions of people. There’s no evidence that there is an adverse effect on fertility of these vaccines, and there’s no reason why one would suspect that an mRNA vaccine would have this,” said Marks.

“The way these vaccines work as they go into the cell, the cell makes the protein for a brief period of time — that is, on the surface of the cell. The body makes an immune response. And the original vaccine, the mRNA component, is degraded. It’s not incorporated into the genetic material of a person. There’s no way for that to happen,” Marks said.

“So these vaccines are ones that we’re pretty comfortable are going to be reasonable to use in children. I wouldn’t hesitate to give them, had I had still younger children in this age group, (I) would not hesitate a second to give my child one of these vaccines.”

Disbursement of vaccines is expected to start for children 5 to 11 this week after the US Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorization for Pfizer’s vaccine.