The vaccine...

[Eeeekim40thisyear]

I'm hoping to start fertility treatment this year. I'm being offered the vaccine through work (frontline nhs), do I take it & risk it damaging my fertility (obviously no research on it) or do I put it off? I already have my age against me. What would you do??

I just had my 2nd round of IVF and the info 3 weeks ago was that if you are TTC within the next 3mths, to NOT have the covid vaccine.

I read something yesterday saying that you now CAN have the vaccine if pregnant or TTC, but to talk to your health care professional. I cant find the research or the article I found though.

It seems that the info is changing daily, so check if you can find any research papers/latest evidence.

Dont take it. Hopefully enough will get the vaccine so you wont have to get it. Dont risk you fertility if you have fears it will in any way. Good Luck!

After a quick google, if I were in your shoes I would take the vaccine and not be concerned about fertility. There doesn’t seem to be any reason why the vaccine would affect it, and I found one quote from a medical lecturer that suggested that covid has a greater risk of causing fertility issues than the vaccine (though I don’t know anything about the evidence of covid’s affect on fertility). I’m not a medical professional.

If I were planning on getting pregnant within three months I would hesitate, as research is limited, though looks promising.

Do some research using reputable sources and talk to your fertility doctors. They may have advice, but remember they won’t be vaccine experts.

You’re in a difficult position where either decision carries it's own possible risks and we don’t have information about what they actually are and, on the vaccine side re: having children, if there actually are any. This means that the best choice for you is probably what you think would result in you worrying the least about yourself, the people around you, and your future child.

Hi, I'm a covid vaccinator and a health care professional so will try to help. Sorry if too technical but will try to explain.. the guidance with the original Pfizer vaccine was not to TTC within 3 months of the first vaccine and not to have if pregnant or breastfeeding. This is on the basis that it is unethical to test on pregnant/breastfeeding women but while they see no reason that it should be harmful to a baby, they simply can't say. The guidance only changed because the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine came out with the advice that you can now have the vaccine "after discussing with your GP" so the government changed the advice for both vaccines. That discussion should still be that ONLY women at extremely high risk of catching covid with no possible way or reducing this risk (eg a pregnant ICU nurse who can't avoid covid patients, although I'd hope her employer would move her) and who already has underlying health problems meaning they're more at risk, otherwise it really isn't recommended, the midwife at my appointment on tuesday agreed these are the only circumstances to have it and they really don't want pregnant women to have it. Now with the fertility issues again they see no reason why you should have problems but the safety data just isn't available to back this up so you accept the vaccine knowing this isn't a given.
From a non medical view if I was starting fertility treatment this year, unless I was already at serious risk of harm from catching covid (underlying problems like severe asthma or an organ transplant) and worked directly with covid patients, I personally would delay having the vaccine and go ahead with the fertility treatment knowing it wasn't affecting me. If I had the vaccine and still struggled to conceive I think I'd personally question if the vaccine was contributing and would struggle to shake the thought of it.
It's a personal decision to make but I hope I've given you enough to make an informed decision. Best of luck in your fertility journey

If I was given the opportunity to take the vaccine when I'd decided to start trying I would, as my third trimester I'd basically be housebound (all women in their third trimester need to take extra extra precautions due to an increased chance of the baby being premature)

I'm 23 weeks pregnant and diabetic so higher risk, i saw the change in guidance that pregnant and breastfeeding women can now have it. I personally won't be having it before the baby is born and will probably wait until more research is done when i'm breastfeeding. I know a lot of American pregnant women are getting the vaccine but my midwife team have said not to. For me the unknown effect for baby is too greater risk at present but there will be more data collected. If i was starting fertility treatment i would hold off too, you will need to isolate for elements of it anyway. Good luck!

What if you catch covid? We don't know the long term effects and that could do more damage to your fertility than the vaccine

If I was offered the vaccine, I would absolutely take it (23w pregnant with my first after 2 years TTC, hoping for a second child in a few years). My degree is in immunology and I have reassured myself with the information about how the vaccine works that the risks are so low that the risks of catching covid are significantly higher. Especially as natural immunity wanes, you could catch covid now and then be high risk in the third trimester, with the vaccine the immunity is longer lasting.

@lemonsquashie

What if you catch covid? We don't know the long term effects and that could do more damage to your fertility than the vaccine

we also don't know the long term effects of the vaccine yet though on an unborn child. it's a tough one! I think everyone has to risk assess them selves and what they feel comfortable with. I'm in the UK so we are locked down at present, i'm working from home, take all the required precautions in shops etc. and having no to minimal contact with others so I feel that I want to wait.

Absolutely not. The caution for women was that the vaccine specifically attacks HCG, the hormone that tells you you are pregnant and forms the placenta.
You have a 99.5% survival rate of COVID and it's the governments job to make you very very aware of COVID to ensure you comply with current regs.
In contrast vaccine companies will always play down the risk of their product....and even then medical advice is its maybe not for women who are trying to concieve.

I am 28weeks. I am actively trying to access the vaccine although I have no right to as I'm not working (so very far down the list). Two of my friends who are working in patient facing roles within hospitals (a nurse and a Dr) and who are both pregnant (14&30 weeks) had their vaccinations a few days ago. I'm thrilled for them.
Best of luck with whatever you choose and with the fertility treatment.

I wouldn't take the vaccine at any stage, TTC, pregnant or breastfeeding. We just don't know the long term effects, some have already reported side effects so there are short term side effects on some poeple. No thanks!

I guess no one can say 100% but I think it causing infertility is really unlikely. All the people I know who are educated on the subject that I trust say the same. Though it's up to you. If you have the vaccine and then later can't get pregnant are you going to wonder if it was the vaccine even if no evidence comes out on it?

Personally, I would go for the vaccine if I wasn't going to try for another few months as it would be one less thing to worry about when pregnant.

Get the vaccine now, before you start treatment.

Thank you for all of your honest replies.
If I was young I wouldn't think twice but having my age against me is a worry. I think I'll discuss it with my fertility consultant & go from there. Thank you 😊

I was researching something else and found this excellent video:

I'm 38 wks pregnant; I would get the vaccine if I could; and if it's offered whilst I'm breastfeeding, I'll get it. Not a medical professional here, but it seems like the only reason they're excluding/ cautious about pregnant women is that they haven't trialled it. However, it sounds like there is no reason to really believe the vaccine carries any risk to pregnancy or breastfeeding, and I agree with some of the other posters that the risk of Covid seems to me to be way higher.
This is all my opinion rather than having any scientific knowledge.

I was offered the vaccine as I am a health care assistant who works in a GP surgery and I was also offered to help out in the vaccination centres. I currently am not seeing patients except in certain circumstances where I have to do blood pressures etc. My employer did not put my name to work in the centres as it would be a risk to me to be exposed to multiple patients. The practice nurse told me not to take the vaccine as there has been little research about the effects on pregnant women. I actually had covid when I was pregnant but I didn't know I was pregnant at the time (this was in october, I'm currently 14 weeks and 1 day) so I decided not to have the vaccine at the moment. I agree you should discuss it with your fertility consultant.