Does Vaccination Reduce Chances of Conception?

• Position: FERTILITY

COVID-19 vaccination does not affect the chances of conceiving a child, according to a study of more than 2,000 couples that appears in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Researchers found no differences in the chances of conception if either male or female partner had been vaccinated, compared to unvaccinated couples. However, couples had a slightly lower chance of conception if the male partner had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 within 60 days before a menstrual cycle, suggesting that COVID-19 could temporarily reduce male fertility.

The study was conducted by Amelia K. Wesselink, research assistant professor of epidemiology at the Boston University School of Public Health, and colleagues.

Researchers analyzed data from the Pregnancy Study Online (PRESTO), an Internet-based prospective cohort study of U.S. and Canadian couples trying to conceive without fertility treatment. PRESTO is led by Lauren A. Wise, professor of epidemiology at Boston University.

The investigators found no major differences in conception rates per menstrual cycle between unvaccinated and vaccinated couples in which at least one...