I've been invited for my vaccine but not sure what I want to do

[annabellacomestotea]

Hello everyone

I've been invited for my vaccine much sooner than I expected. I am a 31 year old woman, I do not work in a public facing capacity and have no health concerns (normal BMI, only health concern of note being diagnosed with PCOS and generalised anxiety disorder, which would have no impact on me being offered the vaccine.)

Although I am of course grateful to have been offered the vaccine, I was hoping to be offered it later as I have had concerns about it.

I am not sure if my concerns are legitimate or the result of absorbing so much mixed messaging online, from friends and family and even news outlets. In real life, some of my friends and family support the vaccine and others are 'wait and see', whilst others are vehemently against.

I have had everything else from yellow fever to rabies vaccinations, but I have concerns about this vaccine, especially as it has been linked (whether factually or not I'm unsure) to infertility. As a 31 year old woman with no pre-existing health conditions, I don't like the idea of taking a vaccine for something unlikely to impact me greatly. I also have never taken the flu jab for the same reason.

Anyone of a similar age group, would you take the vaccine? Do you have any concerns? Are these concerns unfounded, or should I be asking more questions? And if I reject the vaccine now, am I able to take it later on, and how would this work?

Thank you.

@annabellacomestotea I completely understand your reluctance, I have decided not to avail of it at this time. I may not get it at all. I am not anti Vax either. This is your decision and some of the comments to you are harsh. Whether you take it or not, it does not stop you getting covid or it does not stop you passing it to others. It may lessen your symptoms if you contract it, and to be honest we won’t know what long term effects it brings for quite a while. This is your decision and yours alone.

The fertility thing is a conspiracy theory started because the government stated the impact on fertility was “unknown” (they had to say this as it is unknown, it’s not like it’s been tested on fertility later down the line)

However all experts say there is zero reason it would impact anything like that and if it did then that means covid would too, which it doesn’t.

I am surprised you’ve been offered it at your age though - where in the country are you, if you don’t mind me asking? It could be an error.

I heard JVT talking about this and he was at pains to emphasise that no vaccine has ever been shown to affect fertility, and as this vaccine has been made using knowledge gained from development of other vaccines, there is no reason to suspect this one will be any different.

@Adirondack

You will be fine. It’s not just about the impact on you. It’s about protecting the whole of society. Do it.

Not this one. The AZ has been shown to reduce transmission but we don't know which one the OP will have.

All anyone needs to worry about with this one is themselves. Have it yourself and stop telling other people what to do.

And the word "selfish" needs to be banned.

However, OP if you want to travel at any point you are likely to need a vaccine passport. So in your shoes I would have it. I can't imagine it will affect fertility in any way.

www.rcog.org.uk/en/news/RCOG-and-RCM-respond-to-misinformation-around-Covid-19-vaccine-and-fertility/

Fake anti vaxxer shit stirring is different: but everyone with questions is not a shit stirrer

Sadly I think it's becoming harder to tell these days. Anti-vaxxers have become quite sophisticated with their spread of disinformation.

Immediately spouting off conspiracy theories gets them shut down and banned. Posing as people 'just asking questions' does not.

I'm really not sure how to tell anymore.

Put your arm out, close your eyes. It’s what we’ve all done.

There is nothing to suggest the vaccine has an effect on fertility. I have had the vaccine. I would urge you to have it also.

I am also not anti vax but this is a completely new situation, in a couple of years time threat from covid may have gone so an unvaccinated person will be safe, or the threat may have amplified and we may have more dangerous/transmissible variants which also require further vaccinations.
It can be argued that we should all 'take one for the team' and and accept the possibility of negative consequenses for the wider benefit of the society, all well and good if we truly were all in this together but it is plainly evident that those in power do not care about the health and wellbeing of most of the population.
personally i am grateful that most of the population are chomping at the bit to get the vaccination

Ah. One of these.

I simply want to make an informed choice.

What more information are you after? You want the validation of randoms on the internet who could be anyone, rather than relying on the results of clinical trials?

Are you purposefully trying to spread your "doubt"? No, don't answer....

Are you in the UK? Just wondering why as a healthy 31 year old you have been offered the vaccine.

I think it’s very strange that so many of OP’s family and friends are spreading these fake anti-vax scare stories when such a high percentage of British people are accepting vaccine invitations. TBH I strongly suspect the wide eyed faux naive tone is cover for anti-vaxxer spreading of misinformation.

Re. Fertility. It because they don’t actually have any data about whether if does impact on it. I’ve been invited for mine and whilst I’m done having children, I am slightly concerned about it. But I have every other vaccination so not sure why exactly!

Trufflypig I agree, but for every question on here that may or may not be faux questioning there are lots of readers. Many of whom may have genuine questions or concerns. If the see factual measured responses they may be reassured. If they see questioners being shouted down and called stupid then conspiracy theories flourish. I don’t think the response is always for the person asking the ‘fake’ question, it is for the many reading it thinking “oh, I wonder that too”. l

And in this case there is no evidence the op is one of them, there has been no come backs with “yeah but look at this link” which I think is a hallmark of shit stirring (though to be fair I have skimmed so may have missed it).

I think it’s very strange that so many of OP’s family and friends are spreading these fake anti-vax scare stories when such a high percentage of British people are accepting vaccine invitations. TBH I strongly suspect the wide eyed faux naive tone is cover for anti-vaxxer spreading of misinformation.

And yet this is not uniform across the whole population. There is a real concern about some areas, including care home staff, having a poor uptake. So I don’t think that it is necessarily strange.

[quote Lollipop25]@annabellacomestotea I completely understand your reluctance, I have decided not to avail of it at this time. I may not get it at all. I am not anti Vax either. This is your decision and some of the comments to you are harsh. Whether you take it or not, it does not stop you getting covid or it does not stop you passing it to others. It may lessen your symptoms if you contract it, and to be honest we won’t know what long term effects it brings for quite a while. This is your decision and yours alone.[/quote]
This post is out of date wrt spread. Both Pfizer and AZ have shown dramatic effects on spread in initial studies, both reducing it by two thirds to three quarters iirc.
So though it is indeed your own choice and we quite rightly don’t do forced vaccination in this country, it is a choice which will have an impact on other, more vulnerable people.

THERE ARE NO LINKS TO INFERTILITY. You need to stop listening to non-science.

Look at it this way, over 13 million people have been vaccinated in the UK and there are no reports of linked deaths, yet less people have been diagnosed with Covid and over 100,000 have died. Given that I'm not sure why anyone wouldn't have the vaccine unless they have been told they can't have it.
For people wanting to wait and see, I think that is selfish. One of the reasons for having the vaccine is to try and reduce transmission, so it isn't about protecting you, it's protecting other people.

Hi OP I am the same age as you and was 100% healthy and fit, at least I was before 5 long months suffering from Covid.

It can do awful things to your system, including messing with your cycles, and for me at least is clearly much more likely to have an impact on any conception plans than conspiracy theory related propaganda

Even if that impact is simply that you are too fatigued to etc. I'll be rolling up my sleeve at the first opportunity.

Shame @annabellacomestotea has left the thread. I'd love to know where she lives so that I can take her dose instead.

If normally sane people start having doubts because of what they have read in/on less reputable sources (I'm looking at you, FB) it says more about them than it does the misinformation itself.

There is no way (given the time frame) it could have been tested for its impact on fertility, that would take a decade or more of gathering stats. Now of course "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence", but I would file that one firmly under "batshit internet conspiracy theories" and pay it no further attention at all.

This post is out of date wrt spread. Both Pfizer and AZ have shown dramatic effects on spread in initial studies

I have a horrible feeling this is going to end up like ‘face masks have no benefit’ and ‘don’t waste tests’. The original message had well-meaning intentions (debatable) but it ends up engraved in the general public’s psyche despite new evidence/requirements emerging.

@glugg

Research articles about vaccine safety are long, boring and hard to read.

Conspiracy theories on social media are everywhere, short, and easy to read.

So that's why people read nonsense and end up believing it. It's not because the evidence is stronger, it's just easier to find and understand stuff that is, unfortunately, often just made up.

This is very true.

Academic papers are written by academics for other academics. Often as part of a bigger picture.

They use language in a specific way as regards risk and significance, which would be clearly understood by others in the same field but possibly not by a lay person expecting things to be black and white.

If you want to research it yourself, please read the non technical summary information available, not gossip and speculation by unqualified randoms on the internet.

OP the only responsible thing to do is to have the vaccine.

There is no evidence whatsoever the vaccine impacts on fertility. It’s yet another conspiracy theory load of rubbish. I know lockdown is hard, but stop reading crap online and stop taking to friends and family that do.

The only way the world will get back to normal is if we all have the vaccine ASAP. Literally the only thing the UK has done well in this nightmare scenario is get a good vaccine supply and roll it out fast.

Don’t be a selfish idiot - this is about everybody. Have the vaccine.

I can totally understand your fears and it’s right to make an informed choice. But I would also add that I would rather take my chances with a vaccine that has been throughly researched and approved for its safety, than risk getting covid. The risks of long term health complications with covid far outweigh any other fears. For what it’s worth I am not done having children get and I have had the vaccine.