COVID vaccine does not cause infertility, Israeli study finds

January 5, 2022

Since the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved for use, there have been rumors that it can affect women’s fertility. Some anti-vaccine activists have espoused these claims.

COVID vaccines do not affect the functioning of the ovaries or women’s fertility in general, a study from Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer has found.

The research, published in the journal Human Reproduction, was conducted by the Women’s Department at Sheba. Dr. Aya Mohr-Sasson led the study, along with Professor Jaron Rabinovici, deputy director of the Josef Buchmann Gynecology and Maternity Center.

The study investigated the levels of the anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) – whose levels indicate a woman’s ovarian reserves – among some 200 subjects of childbearing age. A total of 129 women completed all stages of the study.

The women were tested before receiving first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine and again three months after the first dose. In the three-month interval, the subjects received the second dose of the vaccine.

According to the study, the vaccine had no adverse effect on the women’s ovarian functioning, and their AMH levels did not change. The hormone levels remained steady even when the subjects were analyzed by age group.

Sheba Medical Center is currently conducting a follow-up study on girls ages 12-18, as well as tracking the original group of subjects after they received booster shots.

Rabinovici said, “One of the concerns since the COVID vaccine appeared was that it could cause infertility. The study shows that the vaccine does not affect a woman’s fertility. As for the future, we know that the vaccines’ side effects are short-term, not long-term.”

Published on ISRAEL HAYOM, 12-26-2021