To not know where to turn about vaccine fears?

[WaxedNotVaxed]

I've started a new job in the NHS, I'm patient facing and there is pressure being put on for me to get the covid vaccine as soon as possible.

My fears are that I have PCOS and have always struggled with my periods and my cycles used to be 100+ days. Since having a baby a few years ago I have a 29 day cycle and I don't want to mess with this?

I'm scared about the vaccine making me infertile? Or having long term impacts on my reproductive health? It's scary enough with PCOS and I definitely want another child.

I'm overall just a bit skeptical as a 26 year old woman who wants more kids and has PCOS to get a vaccine without long term studies for a virus id likely only be mildly ill from?

I can't say this at work but I feel really anxious over it

@scaevola

But is my fertility and reproductive health not also worth protecting?

Of course it is. But not at the expense of vulnerable patients.

This might not be the right role for you at the present time.

It wont make a difference. Even if she had the jab she could still pass covid on to these vulnerable patients.

There is NO evidence covid affects your fertility.
You know what does though - covid itself, alcohol, overeating, stress, not sleeping enough, sedentary lifestyle, pollution, endocrine disrupters in microplastics/other chemical pollution... how comes no one is worried about these things?

Covid vaccine* I mean

If the NHS staff had decent PPE this would all be a lot less problematic.

It wont make a difference. Even if she had the jab she could still pass covid on to these vulnerable patients

She is however considerably less likely to do so.

And those patients deserve an environment which is as safe as possible.

There are many other roles in NHS for those who cannot or will not have the vaccines.

Remember many roles already require vaccination. NHS clinicians know full well it doesn't guarantee patient safety (they are not likeky to be both unintelligent and underinformed) but know that the reduction in risk is very much worth it.

The NHS has required immunisations of staff in certain roles since it's very founding. First do no harm is an important principle towards patients.

standupsitdownturnaround
The vulnerable people would have had the vaccine though?
Yes but who do you think is still dying of COVID at the moment? Vulnerable people who despite the vaccine still couldn’t shake it off. The vaccine gives you some protection, you’re less likely to catch it, spread it and die from it but if you’re extremely vulnerable you can still die.

I know I was answering another post which suggested patients must assume vulnerable staff haven't been vaxxed.

My point was that patients wouldn't assume that at all because vulnerable staff would have had the vaccine.

I'm not at all saying vulnerable people don't need to worry any more!

I'll ask for that post to be taken down as it's confusing

I have pcos, I'm double vaxxed, had my second one in April. There was a delay in the first subsequent periods I had, but I believe that is due to the response my body was having to the vaccine. All back to normal now. If you are considering having another child I personally would make sure I was doubled vaxxed before considering trying to conceive. Risk of being very unwell with Covid would be higher if you were pregnant.

The vulnerable people would have had the vaccine though

And for the immune suppressed vulnerable, the immunisation works considerably less well than for the general population.

And they need to benefit from reduced transmission - that's why members of their immediate household get the jab - MHRA put them into cat 6 in the initial draft guidelines, but they were suspended from it pending evidence on effect of suppression of transmission (note : suppression, not elimination). The evidence was strong enough that suppression was good enough and household CEV/immune compromised were reinstated at the end of March

As others have said look at the advice from RCOG on the vaccine and fertility, and the risks to you and baby of covid in pregnancy. Also consider that this vaccine is made in the same way as many others - if it were brand new it would have taken much longer to develop. The science behind it is long established and the technology has a long history.

If there was serious risk to fertility evidence would have started to emerge by now.

I do not understand why you would take the risk of being unvaccinated and pregnant. The risk (and let's face it the likelihood of contracting) covid are much greater than the notion (it is no more than a notion) that your fertility might be affected. I have PCOS myself (no longer child bearing age mind).

I work in a HEI and in my job I place students in NHS placements. They need the jab for their own protection and the protection of their patients. If you don't have the vaccine personally I think it would be indefensible to remain in a patient-facing role. For me it would be a moral decision and if I were you and felt that strongly about not getting vaccinated I would seek employment elsewhere.

There's no evidence to say it affects fertility. I really hope that the vaccine becomes a mandatory vaccine to work patient facing like HepB.

Excellent advice on here OP to help you.

If you've studied for years for this surely you must have some critical thinking skills and can see that there is no evidence for your concern, and that the likelihood of there being long-term impacts is slim due to the research that has gone into vaccines for years and the fact they illicit a similar response in your body to other vaccines that have been around for decades?

If you're that concerned then I agree with PP and don't think a patient facing role is for you. You'll have to spend your career keeping up with vaccinations to protect your colleagues and your patients - if you're going to throw up unfounded concerns every time then probably best to find a job where that isn't required.

OP I have PCOS and had my second vaccination in March, got pregnant in April and currently 5 months pregnant.

I have pcos and have had both vaccines. I'm also ttc/doing ivf. I just did each vaccine after a round of ivf failed. I'm a secondary teacher so mostly stuck in a small room full of superspreaders! Personally I was delighted to get my vaccines. My periods were unaffected.

I appreciate your apprehension but this isnt the place that will be able to help you. You sound like you have already decided you wont get it, which Is your choice. If you are looking for facts and data you wouldn't have come to mumsnet.

I administer the vaccine and the staff at all hubs I've worked at would be happy to go through all the data and your concerns.

You've studied to get into your job and you know where to get trusted data from.

My personal experience was no cycle change after 1 vaccine and I actually conceived pretty much to the day of my second and have seen a very healthy featus on 2 early scans now. My experience wont be the same as yours but threads like this wont help your mindset either.

Talk to a medical professional or just decide against it and move on, my personal opinion is the stress of decision making will have far more impact on your cycle and mental health.

Good luck with TTC

I don't think I'd want to be treated by a HCP with such an inability to assess evidence and understand risk. I also wouldn't want to be treated by one who put the rights and wellbeing of a potential baby who doesn't and might never exist over the rights and wellbeing of the patient in front of them. But then I know someone killed by Covid which was given to him by an infected carer.

And everyone saying there's no evidence of it affecting fertility, theres no evidence it doesn't. It's only been being given out for a few months. There's no possible way they can know what the side effects are.

@3Britnee It doesn't target the reproductive system in any way. Think of it like this: you take a tablet for pain relief, but a cut on your arm doesn't heal. Do you blame the tablet? You don't, as the tablet isn't intended for to speed tissue healing.

@scaevola

The vulnerable people would have had the vaccine though

And for the immune suppressed vulnerable, the immunisation works considerably less well than for the general population.

And they need to benefit from reduced transmission - that's why members of their immediate household get the jab - MHRA put them into cat 6 in the initial draft guidelines, but they were suspended from it pending evidence on effect of suppression of transmission (note : suppression, not elimination). The evidence was strong enough that suppression was good enough and household CEV/immune compromised were reinstated at the end of March

I know. I've asked for that post to be removed.

It was a reply to someone else who suggested vulnerable NHS workers couldn't have had their jab due to vulnerability and therefore most patients will assume not all staff are vaccinated.

I disagree with that since there aren't many contraindications to get the vaccine and certainly being vulnerable is not one!

@WaxedNotVaxed

The thing is the research that's out there isn't going to show the long term affects, they just aren't going to be known yet. It seems such a gamble for women of child bearing age to be expected to get the vaccine without this.

What long term effects do you expect to see? Vaccines are short acting and side effects happen very quickly after them. What mechanism are you concerned about where you would have a long term impact on your reproduction? There is absolutely no evidence of this, yet long term organ damage is a proven effect from covid.

So why does it affect periods then? 🤷‍♀️

I dont trust it and I'm not having it.

@3Britnee I'd say any stories re: the above are anecdotal. Any effects could be related to stress, COVID itself, lockdown - many things. However, a clinical side-effect of the COVID vaccine isn't one of them.

Haven’t read the full thread but are people aware that people have reported similar cycle disruption after covid infection to the disruption people have had after the vaccine? And that there is also not yet a large amount of data on the long term effects of covid infection on fertility?

With those things in mind I have chosen vaccination, with its small potential risk but a vast reduction in the risk of catching and passing on covid, developing long covid (which my aunt has had since March 2020 and is now essentially disabled and certainly would not be well enough to cope with a pregnancy or newborn), or getting pregnant and then facing the known risks of covid in pregnancy.

The vaccine can cause delayed / irregular periods.

Stress, anxiety, exercise and weight loss can do that.

There’s no evidence the vaccine can effect fertility. There is evidence you could pass covid on to vulnerable patients. So looking at risk and probability, in terms of evidence you are gambling with patients’ health, not your own.