How the vaccine infertility scare came to be

Let’s start with this: The COVID-19 vaccine does not cause infertility. All the talk about risking infertility as a result of the vaccine is a serious case of misinformation. False information. A myth. An unfounded notion.

How can you know? While it’s understandable to have concerns around the COVID-19 vaccine and reproductive health, there is no scientific cause for concern. Why? It’s quite simple actually. The vaccine does not interact with your reproductive organs.

The vaccine plays with the immune system to create antibodies that fight the spike protein on the coronavirus. It does not fight the proteins in the placenta. The spike proteins and placenta proteins are not similar—that was a myth that started online.

So why the scare? And why are we still circulating this myth?

One, it’s hard to rein in a myth once it’s gained social media ground. Two, it’s hard to reassure the public when the scare is tied to something so very basically human: reproduction.

Here’s how it all started.

On December 1, 2020, two doctors requested the Pfizer mRNA vaccine to be withheld from emergency use due to concern over female infertility risks. They did acknowledge the lack of evidence around this claim, but it didn’t matter. Despite the European Medicines Agency and the US Food and Drug Administration ultimately deciding to authorize emergency use of the vaccine, presumably because there was no evidence that the vaccine risked infertility, social media had already dug its claws into the myth and held it up for all to see: Look! There’s no evidence for this thing whatsoever but isn’t it scary?!

The vital piece of this emergency situation—that there was a lack of evidence regarding the infertility risk—was lost in the media shuffle. (Look out for my broken record called There’s No Evidence for This coming soon). What was enticing and easy to overstate was the scare factor. The scare fed the media mill, which, in turn, fueled the anxiety beast we’ve been wresting all pandemic long.

And, as it turns out, this piece of juicy misinformation was a very satisfying snack for the anxiety beast. How do we know that the infertility myth gained so much ground? It trended.

A 2021 research study investigating US internet searches for “infertility” following this misinformation found that peak searches for “infertility” and “infertility and vaccine” occurred the week of December 6, 2020, while peak searches for “infertility and COVID vaccine” occurred on December 13, 2020.

Clearly, misinformation about the vaccine causing female infertility spread like wildfire. And just as wildfires risk the lives of people and wildlife affected, this piece of misinformation—this false information—risks the lives and wellbeing of women everywhere. It’s keeping women from entering the safety net of immunity. This is an equity problem.

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Vaccine hesitancy due to unwarranted infertility scares is an injustice to women’s health. Dr. Kuohung, director of Boston Medical Center’s Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Program, was quoted in an NBC article saying, “This fake news is the most harmful to women that I’ve heard in my 20 years of practice.”

That’s a bold statement. And though I’m not a doctor or a scientist, I am a woman and a public health professional, and I would slap that statement onto a billboard if I could.

But maybe that’s just me. What do women have to say about the misinformation that poses a risk to their health and wellbeing? Having a background in public health research, and being an intellectually curious woman, I thought I’d conduct a mini, informal study to see how this misinformation is impacting women’s thoughts about the vaccine. If we as a society are causing undue harm to women, it’s only fair that we give women a chance to speak for themselves.

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My hope is that sharing these women’s responses, which reveal both concern and confidence, shows strength in numbers. It’s understandable that this misinformation spikes concern among women of all ages, from those who plan to have babies one day, to those who want to know their daughters/granddaughters can have babies. Yet as study after study comes out to reiterate the safety of COVID-19 vaccines and that reproductivity and fertility is not in harm’s way, we can simultaneously fuel a grassroots effort to beat this misinformation by leveraging women’s voices. Science and solidarity can go a long way.

Note: To be clear, this is not a formal research study. I asked a small group of female friends and family a set of questions about the vaccine–infertility myth from their perspective and experience. Their answers have been de-identified. This is a small sample of women and their answers do not necessarily represent the perspectives of all women (obviously). It is simply an informal yet telling report of how this myth is impacting women.

What women have to say about it

1. If you’ve heard about the vaccine-infertility myth, where/who did you hear it from? 

As expected, this small but mighty group of women heard the vaccine–infertility myth through a couple of grapevines: media and good old-fashioned word of mouth. But, important to note is that most, if not all, of what was shared between women was originally born from the myths shared on media.

One noted that she heard the myth from a click-baity headline someone shared on Instagram in hopes that it would encourage people to “AVOID looking into/freaking out about it as the vaccines were first rolling out.” Another said she heard a blip about it on the news, either on Yahoo! or TV, “when [she] couldn’t change the channel fast enough off of the news.” She also heard it from her colleagues who, she notes, are against the vaccine in general.

With all the attention that’s been given to the COVID-19 vaccine infertility myth, we are seeing researchers, scientists, and doctors come out to share again and again: vaccination does not harm fertility. One participant found that reassurance quickly and started to advocate for others to challenge their own worries:

“Once I heard about the infertility scares circulating, I went ahead and started doing research and there really wasn’t anything that specified what exactly it was that was supposedly causing infertility. Any time it was brought up (like when I asked my mom what exactly her hairdresser was saying) my go-to would be to ask HOW it’s causing infertility and WHY people are so widely fearful of it causing infertility, and there was never an actual answer.”

2. What did you hear about the vaccine causing infertility? Any one thing or story in particular?

One said that she hadn’t heard many stories at all, noting that it could be because a lot of her friends are in public health or got the vaccine. Yet she did hear about the study that was misinterpreted, and how that misinterpretation fueled the infertility myth, noting it’s “wild how quickly misinformation sticks and spreads.” Isn’t it so! Such wild misinformation is throwing shade on a proven lifesaver (the COVID-19 vaccine), which is not only disheartening but also frustrating. One participant, who is in medical residency, put it well:

“Medicine as a whole is pretty wildly frustrated with attitudes towards vaccines. Strategies toward reassuring patients about vaccines, and how to find common ground and give them important information is always being discussed, but in some ways, there’s a little bit of saturation of frustration (how many ways can the public be misled regarding vaccines, which are arguably the single greatest development in the history of human health?).”

Claps.

While some noted they heard of women planning to wait until after she had kids or not allowing their daughters to get the vaccine because of the infertility scares, they also heard of women who went for it. In the latter case, a friend was worried because there wasn’t a lot of information about the vaccine and pregnancy at that time, but she ended up getting it and feeling safe. Another said she heard the myth at a friend’s gathering and that it was told in a joking way, “implying that there wasn’t truth to it.”

While most were sharing that they saw no actual connection between the vaccine and infertility in real life, another noted that they heard from a family member that she and her friend missed their period for two months after getting the vaccine, wondering if there was a connection there. While this is interesting to note, what’s important to keep in mind for us all is that correlation does not equal causation. A bit of reassuring news? During Pfizer trials, 23 women volunteers in the study became pregnant. More news like this, which I’ve seen cited at least three times in various reputable sources, should be shared (and celebrated!).

A Johns Hopkins Medicine report also gave a reassuring and confident answer to the question, “Will the COVID-19 vaccine affect my fertility?” saying no, it won’t. Simple! They emphasized that the concern about the spike proteins in the vaccine impacting the spike protein involved with the placenta is totally unfounded since the two spike proteins are totally different from one another—there is no competition between them, so the placenta has nothing to worry about. Put it this way: don’t compare apples to oranges.

Also, can we, the non-scientists, stop talking about spike proteins as if we know them intimately? The same goes for anything COVID-related. If you don’t have the science in hand—the solid, peer-reviewed science, mind you—then don’t start spewing stuff. Get to know the thing first!  

3. Did/does it scare you? If not, why not?

There was a mixed bag of feelings toward the myth in terms of the fear it has instilled. A couple of participants said that they weren’t scared by the myth, saying “I think all of the research points to it being safe for women, and I am far more scared of COVID-19!” and “Frankly I don’t really believe the myth anyway.” On the other hand, one said “I tend to tune out when it is brought up…because I don’t want to be scared or depressed, [but] yes, it does scare me, mainly for [my daughter], also for my [daughter-in-law].

The fact that this myth is causing so much fear that is not only unnecessary but impacting women’s mental health is devastating. One touched on this in her response:

“Of course the idea of becoming infertile is scary, but I’ve long held the belief that so many things are out of our control.… There are so many other medical interventions (birth control being one of them) that haven’t had many controlled, longitudinal studies because so many women’s health issues get sidelined.”

This is where evidence-based information is crucial to crush fear from misinformation, especially when it disproportionately affects a single group—in this case, women. We need solid science to spread like butter on hot toast so that when these unfounded myths surface, we can rejoice in being all buttered up by solid science.

One way to combat fear is to lean in rather than turn away so that you can be exposed to the facts. They are out there. For example, one shared she was fearful when she heard the vaccine carried the risk of infertility but was reassured when she did her own research:

“At first, I definitely felt unnerved about the rumors as someone who definitely wants to have a child, but…after doing much more extensive research with credible sources, my feelings were quickly eased, and I felt confident getting the vaccine.… I especially felt extra confident about the vaccine after I had a better idea of how exactly it works in the body. Incredible!”

Another shared a different perspective, opting for less self-driven research and, like others, compared the risks: “I haven’t read up on the science behind the vaccine infertility myth, but I guess I assumed that vaccines are fairly low risk by comparison.”

4. Would you recommend vaccination to your girlfriends and family members with this scare floating around?

It’s a known thing that recommendations from people you trust hold more weight. So it’s crucial to look at how this myth is affecting the way women talk about the vaccine in their circles. In this small sample, there was a mix of enthusiasm for recommending the vaccine to their female friends and family. Though responses ranged from “Absolutely! I want them to be safe and protected” to “I can’t comment one way or another—I don’t know enough,” a majority of the vibes were in favor of recommending the vaccine.

For example, one noted that they would recommend the vaccine because “vaccines go through rigorous testing and are one of the safest medical advances” in her opinion.

One even noted tips on how to navigate the conversation with a girlfriend who was concerned by the myth:

“Putting anything in your body is very personal and should be treated accordingly, so I understand that not everyone will respond the same to the vaccine or the rumors about it and I never wanted to make anybody feel shameful for being precautious or concerned. But I definitely was more than happy to ask ‘why?’ when they’d mention being concerned…to open up a dialogue that would hopefully lead them to feel more comfortable proceeding with the vaccine. And it worked! Knowledge is power.” 

Knowledge is power, indeed, especially when it comes to debunking a myth that is leaving women unprotected.

5. What would you tell a woman who hasn’t gotten the vaccine because of infertility fears? 

Women talk to each other. A lot. When it comes to the vaccine and all of the misinformation around it, how we talk about it is very important. So not only do we need to spread the word that this myth has been busted but also spread trustworthy information as well.

Though it’s clear that we come to the discussion with different levels of concern, there is a clear message of empathy and advocacy for women to get protection. Below are some ideas on how we could approach talking about this with other women because, like in many cases, good things happen when women support and give voice to each other.

“I hopefully would be able to assure her and give her sound advice instead of telling her…something that might cause her to shut down. I would tell her I think the risk of COVID-19 is greater than the risks associated with the vaccine. I would hopefully be able to point her to information that busts the infertility myth and helps her make the decision to get the vaccine on her own. I would tell her I got it and feel very relieved and a lot safer.” 

“I’d start by saying ‘I was a little scared too, but after I did a lot of research, it made me feel way better…’ in hopes that they would do the same.… I’m no expert by any means, so I would never try to assure anybody that there’s absolutely no chance of infertility in relation to these vaccines, but I would just heavily encourage seeking good sources to ease your mind about any of those concerns.”

“I would tell them to go and talk to a medical professional about their fears. I am not a doctor and don’t have the knowledge that a doctor would have around the potential risks of a vaccine, so I am not going to try and convince or sway a woman’s opinion about her body. I think that people that are uneducated in the medical field shouldn’t be spreading rumors/instilling fear in others. At the end of the day there is a potential risk to every choice we make, and we have to follow our intuition about what is best for our own bodies without trying to control what other people do with their bodies.”

“Do some of your own deep research using all avenues, not just the negative and not just the positive.”

“Thinking back to the blood clot scare with Johnson & Johnson, it’s clear that the vaccine has gotten so much public attention that any possible controversy is blown way out of proportion. I would also hate to see women disproportionately impacted by COVID because they’re less likely to get the vaccine—so it then becomes an equity issue.”

This myth is an equity issue on top of a public health issue. That sticks with me, and my hope is that by sharing some perspectives of women I love and trust, we can start to see that while concerns are only natural in this context, the concern is based on a myth that has been busted and continues to be busted as we speak.