Anyone not having CoVid vaccine because of IVF

[Hugzy]

Hi,
I'm just wondering if there is anyone who is not having the CoVid vaccine because of starting IVF?
We have opted to delay the start of IVF until March to allow for CoVid infection rates to go down. As my partner and I have decided against having the vaccine because of the lack of research and evidence around it.

Technically I could have it now as work for health care but my partner would have to wait until June.

I just feel somewhat alone in this decision, and could do with speaking to people in the same mind set.
I read an article about women in their 30s in Australia also querying the vac because there is no research around this area.

Thanks

This has been a really interesting thread so thank you all for contributing.

I’m currently 6 weeks pregnant following an FET in Jan after my first cycle of IVF last year. I was offered the covid vaccine during my 2 week wait and decided to wait until the result of the pregnancy test before making my decision. Now that I’ve had a positive result (I’m aware it’s very early days and all could change) I’m waiting until my first midwife appointment in 2 weeks before deciding what to do. I’m classed as cev due to a very well under control respiratory condition that I have. I’m still unsure what to do but I believe the guidance currently is to wait until you’re 14 weeks before having the first dose. The thought of not being able to mix with family and friends over the summer and once the baby is born is making me think I should have the vaccine. But equally the thought of the vaccine causing any defects or miscarriage is terrifying. It’s all such an unknown still.

I think there are two separate things re the vaccine.

1. If you should take the vaccine prior to getting pregnant. This I think is a very good move. There’s no known or expected impact of the vaccine on fertility so it’s a win-win as you would be vaccinated for your treatment and future pregnancy. So no worries about risk of covid itself or the vaccine on baby and also ability to interact in normal life without worrying about infection. So anyone pre ivf treatment I can’t see any downside to taking it (bar what mr tickle said about not being allowed to proceed with one dose vs two which I hadn’t heard of and wonder if other clinics are doing this)

1. Taking the vaccine while pregnant. This is more ambiguous and I think if someone was pregnant it would be good to err on side of caution and maybe wait until baby arrives unless high risk.

Who are HSE.ie - is that an Irish website?

Hi @MF1981 firstly congratulations!!!
I hope you go on ok. It is a minefield of information.

@Thisgirlcanrun I think it is an Irish website yes. States Health Service Executive if you scroll to the very bottom of the page.

Is anyone else finding it impossible to get a doctor to discuss the vaccine with them?
I'm now due to start IVF in 2 weeks. The clinic will not arrange for me to have a phone call with a doctor to discuss whether or not I should have the initial vaccine. My own GP surgery says I should discuss it with a fertility doctor.
I'm group 6 and have invited to book my initial vaccine. I'm currently WFH with no plans for this to change. I'm planning to carry on being very careful.

I’m Currently in middle of cycle and if I was offered vaccine I’d deliberate because I could be pregnant when I get it. However if I was in between or at start of cycles I’d definitely get it based on recent advice. Think if you’re in the TTC bucket & getting treatment like most of us are then it is a tough choice. If you’re one of the people I’ve heard about who are refusing it cos of pregnant yet you haven’t got a partner and aren’t TTC then eye roll

Hi @CurbsideProphet
There are a couple of links on the previous page that may help you make an informed decision based on your own risk assessment.
It appears that each Fertility clinic has its own suggestions and working practices.
The only thing I can suggest is to keep trying to call.

I managed to speak to my doctor about CoVid vaccine, as asked for a call back to discuss possible side effects due to previous Illness.
The doctor in question did get further advise from specialist before passing on the info. Maybe that is why your doc is saying speak to clinic.
No good is you are getting answers from neither.

Ireland have now opened a query into 4 stillbirths of women who had covid and had covid caused inflammation of the placenta. I personally think you would be crazy to not get the vaccine when not even pregnant due to some concern that it will affect your fertility when this has been debunked as originated with a conspiracy theory that the vaccine was a plan to force mass sterilisation on the population. All experts in the area have said there is no mechanism by which the vaccine can affect fertility.

Taking the vaccine while pregnant is a more grey area but if you are not pregnant but planning to be and can be fully protected in pregnancy I would honestly leap at the chance.

Thanks for your input @EpiphanySoul1 but please be respectful of people's decisions and refrain from calling people crazy.

This thread is not here to point fingers and call names but to help provide information and support to help people make an informed decision. Hence the links on the previous page.

@Hugzy I didn’t read @EpiphanySoul1 ‘s comment as calling people crazy, she is highlighting that risking Covid by not getting the vaccine would be a poor decision and I fully agree with her comment.

If someone is called for a vaccine then the choice is either:

1. Get the vaccine, we know a huge amount about vaccines, they are very safe. There is no biological plausible mechanism for how this vaccine could have an impact on fertility or pregnancy.
2. Don’t get the vaccine and risk getting Covid, there is a huge amount of information on how dangerous this disease is and it has been linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes. If you’re young and healthy then you may be falsely reassured that you won’t get ill. But as a doctor I’m seeing several young healthy people each week with long covid, they are extremely short of breath, they can’t even get up their stairs, they are constantly coughing and are very fatigued, the symptoms go on for months. Add in that if you contract Covid you risk spreading it to others. Imagine all the people who could be put at risk if you’re a pregnant woman that needs to attend appointments, maybe even give birth with the infection.

I got my first dose of the vaccine a few weeks ago, I know that this is the right decision. If you’re going to refuse the vaccine when called, then you must accept that you’re knowingly risking your health, your baby and you’re a human vector risking the health of others.

@Gardenlady543 yes you summed up exactly what I was saying.

Maybe I should have said I can’t rationalise why any person would put their health and potentially the health of their future baby and pregnancy at risk when there is no evidence or mechanism through which the vaccine itself can cause infertility and the fertility issues originate with a conspiracy theory and have gained traction on social media and now resulting in this thread.

Also I don’t know if anyone has pointed it out yet but the references to Thalidomide above - it was a tablet not a vaccine so the two are not comparable.

I won't be having my next ivf treatment for a few months, but I just had the vaccine. Didn't think twice about it. I'm very much against people being pressured into decisions about their health care though. Everyone should be free to choose. (That said, I saw nothing disrespectful in @Epiphany's post - "would be crazy" is a common and somewhat lighthearted phrase for expressing disagreement.)

It’s important to mention that there is a difference between somebody making an informed decision as they are fully aware of the benefits and risks of a treatment and someone who is being pressured into decisions.

There’s some really worrying comments on this thread: conspiracy theories about an impact on fertility, despite there being no plausible mechanism for how this could happen and a mention of thalidomide, thalidomide is a medication currently used to treat multiple myeloma, thalidomide birth defects occurred in the 60’s, there is absolutely nothing that thalidomide has in common with this vaccination.

I find it really strange that people are willing to ignore the huge amount of information on how harmful Covid is and accept that risk by refusing a vaccination that can give them protection. I really hope that those who decide not to have the vaccine when called for it don’t come to harm, and that they don’t harm others by transmitting the disease.

@Gardenlady543 I agree with everything you've said except that thalidomide has nothing to do with it. Scientifically it's wholly different but sociologically? Healthcare professionals told women to take it. Now it's an obvious retort whenever anyone suggests trusting the professionals, sadly. Hopefully, people will do as you and those on the other side of the argument have suggested here: inform themselves of the actual facts about covid and the vaccine.

Personally, I feel so much better knowing my treatment is unlikely to be affected by me catching covid now I've had the vaccine. I think I would be terrified of the prospect of it ruining my cycle. And I certainly wouldn't want it in pregnancy.

Every sympathy for anyone who has been told if they've had the first injection they can't begin treatment until after the second. I don't see why that would be but that policy would certainly deter me if my treatment was due imminently.

@Yokey I disagree, thalidomide is not comparable as a treatment to this vaccination. And from a sociological perspective there is also no comparison, healthcare has changed significantly since the 60s, the way medical care is delivered, professional behaviour, the requirements for developing and testing medicines, the evidence base... literally everything has changed in the last 60 years.

As someone that has dedicated my life to medicine I find it hurtful to suggest that a scandal from the 60s should impact on the trust people having in medical professions in a completely new era. The thalidomide scandal occurred over 20 years before I was even born, the world has changed completely since then.

@Gardenlady543 that it is still used as an argument against trusting medicine is evident from this very thread. I'm not saying that it's a valid argument against vaccination; I'm saying people do make a connection between what people were told by doctors then and what people are told now. Not everyone has your knowledge of the ins and outs of medical professions and all the ways in which they've changed.

Yes it’s very sad people feel that way @Yokey I imagine more so an issue for those who have had little contact with medical professionals.

Just for clarity my thread wasn't the result of conspiracy theories but the government advice given in January that people planning on getting pregnant shouldn't have the vaccine. I believe this advice has now changed and with it maybe the advice from the fertility clinic may be different next time I see them.

@Hugzy that advice was based on pregnancy not ttc - They give that advice as some women may be pregnant and not know it if ttc or be in the TWW where they may be pregnant. There has never been advise not to take the vaccine because of ttc for reasons related to a successful conception or fertility or because of a lack of evidence of impacts on fertility. I’m surprised your clinic didn’t explain this to you. This is also why advise has changed - because more and more women who are pregnant are having the vaccine with no known adverse effects.