Vaccination against COVID did not affect fertility outcomes in patients undergoing in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), according to a new study. The findings, which were published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, add to the growing body of evidence providing reassurance that COVID vaccination does not affect fertility.
Investigators compared rates of fertilisation, pregnancy, and early miscarriage in IVF patients who had received two doses of vaccines manufactured by Pfizer or Moderna with the same outcomes in unvaccinated patients.
“The study found no significant differences in response to ovarian stimulation, egg quality, embryo development, or pregnancy outcomes between the vaccinated compared to unvaccinated patients.” said first author Devora Aharon, MD.
The study involved patients whose eggs were frozen and then thawed for in vitro fertilisation and womb transfer, and patients who underwent medical treatment to stimulate the development of eggs. The two groups of patients who underwent frozen-thawed embryo transfer (214 vaccinated and 733 unvaccinated) had similar rates of pregnancy and early pregnancy loss. The two groups of patients who underwent ovarian stimulation (222 vaccinated and 983 unvaccinated) had similar rates of eggs retrieved, fertilisation, and embryos with normal numbers of chromosomes, among several other measures.
The authors of the study anticipate that the findings will ease the anxiety of people considering pregnancy.
Patients undergoing IVF treatment are closely tracked, enabling the researchers to capture early data on the implantation of embryos in addition to pregnancy losses that might be undercounted in other studies.
Previous studies have found that COVID vaccination helped protect pregnant persons (already at greater risk from severe illness and death from COVID) from severe illness, conferred antibodies to their infants, and did not raise the risk of preterm birth or foetal growth problems.
Source: EurekAlert!
