St. Louis Doctor Addresses COVD-19 Vaccine Infertility Myth

CBS St. Louis

January 30, 2021

The World Health Organization is updating its guidance on the COVID-19 vaccine in pregnant women after a statement earlier this week led many to believe the agency was advising against pregnant women getting vaccinated. In its latest statement, the agency now says, "We don't have any specific reason to believe there will be specific risks that would outweigh the benefits of vaccination for pregnant women. For this reason, those pregnant women at high risk of exposure to sars-cov-2 (e.G. Health workers) or who have comorbidities which add to their risk of severe disease, may be vaccinated in consultation with their health care provider." READ: Thousands of vaccines heading to Metro East next week Right now, in Missouri, pregnant women are in a high priority category for the vaccine. They are in Phase 1B, Tier 2, along with those 65 and older, and adults with severe illnesses. But with all the back and forth, St. Louis-area doctors are trying to clarify rumors about the vaccine and infertility issues. Dr. Kenan Omurtag, a Washington University fertility and reproductive medicine physician at the Women & Infants Center, says there is simply no evidence to suggest the COVID-19 vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna will cause any fertility issues. "There was this rumor that the spike protein that the vaccine builds immunity to COVID-19 looks similar to placenta protein. So the myth comes from 'Oh, if they look similar enough, the body won't be able to tell the difference and will mount an immune response not only to protect you against the spike protein for a COVID infection, but it will also build an immune response against the placenta.' And that is not true," said Dr. Omurtag. "While the two proteins are similar, they are not similar enough to trick the body to build an immune response against the placenta. It would be like saying there is a bear in the room and there is an elephant in the room and they are both wearing red collars, and you can't tell the difference between the two animals because their two collars are the same. That's stupid. You can tell the difference between the two animals," he says. Dr. Omurtag says another common concern is any link between the vaccine and miscarriage. "The answer is so far, the indication is no, getting vaccinated will not increase your risk of miscarriage," said Dr. Omurtag. Of course, the other half of the equation of creating a baby is male fertility. Dr. Omurtag says there were initial reports in March that the virus itself could work on a chemical pathway that could affect sperm function. "But that has not really come to snuff, if you will, so at this point there is no reason to believe that a COVID infection, let alone vaccination, impairs spermiogenesis and impacts male fertility," said Dr. Omurtag.

Dr. Omurtag's mission to debunk myths has a personal connection. He shared that his wife, a fellow physician, was pregnant throughout the pandemic. "We had all the anxieties that goes with it," he said. By the time his wife was offered a vaccine as a frontline worker, she was lactating and they had to decide how the vaccine would impact both her and their newborn child. They decided it was safe, and in fact, both Dr. Omurtag and his wife have now been vaccinated. "Her biggest thing was to make sure she had immunity that she could then, hopefully, then pass on. I think we are still learning about what the immunity is between mother and baby, if she can have immunity and then have antibodies in her breastmilk, then pass that on to our child," said Dr. Omurtag.
Dr. Omurtag stresses the information he provided to News 4 and to patients is based only on the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, which are both based on mRNA advances. He says these conversations will have to be reassessed for future vaccines that have a different make-up.
It is also important to note, neither the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines were studied in pregnant women, which is often the case for clinical trials. However, he says, there were women in each trial that became pregnant while being monitored, which gives health officials some data to base their recommendations. Dr. Omurtag also stresses every individual should make the decision about getting the vaccine with their doctor who knows their specific health history best.