SAN ANTONIO – Concerns about whether the COVID-19 vaccine affects fertility have kept some from getting the shots, but a local disease expert says a recent large study has found no long-term fertility changes.
University Health epidemiologist Dr. Jason Bowling said the question has come up a lot, and there is now even more data that shows the vaccines to be safe for reproductive health.
Bowling cited a recent study on 2,000 couples conducted in Boston. It found no link between vaccines and a woman’s chance of getting pregnant but did find that a COVID-19 infection may have a short-term impact on male fertility.
Bowling also said another study found that men who had COVID-19 are more than three times more likely to be diagnosed with erectile dysfunction.
“Obviously, there are some concerns that having COVID infection can impact sexual health. [Those are] even more reasons for couples that are interested in getting pregnant or concerned about fertility issues to consider getting the COVID vaccine,” Bowling said.
You can hear Bowling’s full answer about whether COVID-19 vaccines affect fertility in the video player at the top of this article.