Corona and Reproduction, or Why the Corona Vaccination Does Not Result in Infertility

Anne-Sophie Braun; Katharina Feil; Elisabeth Reiser; Guenter Weiss; Thore von Steuben; Germar Michael Pinggera; Frank-Michael Köhn; Bettina Toth

doi:10.1055/a-1750-9284

Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde, Table of Contents

CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd 2022; 82(05): 490-500
DOI: 10.1055/a-1750-9284

GebFra Science

Review/Übersicht

Corona and Reproduction, or Why the Corona Vaccination Does Not Result in Infertility

Article in several languages: English | deutsch

Anne-Sophie Braun

¹Universitätsklinik für Gynäkologische Endokrinologie u. Reproduktionsmedizin, Medizinische Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

,

Katharina Feil

¹Universitätsklinik für Gynäkologische Endokrinologie u. Reproduktionsmedizin, Medizinische Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

,

Elisabeth Reiser

¹Universitätsklinik für Gynäkologische Endokrinologie u. Reproduktionsmedizin, Medizinische Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

,

Guenter Weiss

²Universitätsklinik für Innere Medizin II, Medizinische Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

,

Thore von Steuben

¹Universitätsklinik für Gynäkologische Endokrinologie u. Reproduktionsmedizin, Medizinische Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

,

Germar Michael Pinggera

³Universitätsklinik für Urologie, Medizinische Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

,

Frank-Michael Köhn

⁴Andrologicum, München, Germany

,

Bettina Toth

¹Universitätsklinik für Gynäkologische Endokrinologie u. Reproduktionsmedizin, Medizinische Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

Background As the COVID-19 pandemic persists and new vaccines are developed, concerns among the general public are growing that both infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and vaccinations against the coronavirus (mRNA vaccines) could lead to infertility or higher miscarriage rates. These fears are voiced particularly often by young adults of reproductive age. This review summarizes the current data on the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection and corona vaccinations on female and male fertility, based on both animal models and human data.

Method A systematic literature search (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science) was carried out using the search terms “COVID 19, SARS-CoV-2, fertility, semen, sperm, oocyte, male fertility, female fertility, infertility”. After the search, original articles published between October 2019 and October 2021 were selected and reviewed.

Results Despite the use of very high vaccine doses in animal models, no negative impacts on fertility, the course of pregnancy, or fetal development were detected. In humans, no SARS-CoV-2 RNA was found in the oocytes/follicular fluid of infected women; similarly, no differences with regard to pregnancy rates or percentages of healthy children were found between persons who had recovered from the disease, vaccinated persons, and controls. Vaccination also had no impact on live-birth rates after assisted reproductive treatment. No viral RNA was detected in the semen of the majority of infected or still infectious men; however, a significant deterioration of semen parameters was found during semen analysis, especially after severe viral disease. None of the studies found that corona vaccines had any impact on male fertility.

Discussion Neither the animal models nor the human data presented in recent studies provide any indications that fertility decreases after being vaccinated against coronavirus. However, there is a growing body of evidence that severe SARS-CoV-2 infection has a negative impact on male fertility and there is clear evidence of an increased risk of complications among pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The counseling offered to young adults should therefore take their fears and concerns seriously as well as providing a structured discussion of the current data.

Key words

COVID-19 - corona vaccine - SARS-CoV-2 - reproduction - sperm - oocyte - embryo - infertility

Full Text

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