Dr. Ratchford Discusses COVID-19 Vaccines and Fertility

Nathan Ratchford, MD, a Phelps Health gynecologist, talks about whether COVID-19 vaccines affect fertility or pregnancy.

Should I get the COVID-19 vaccine if I’m planning to become pregnant?

“The COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for anybody who is age 5 or older,” Dr. Ratchford says. “Getting the vaccine prior to becoming pregnant can be beneficial and reduce the risk of serious illness, and we generally recommend it.”

Does the COVID-19 vaccine affect fertility?

“Currently, there's not any evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine affects fertility,” he says. “Every day, there's more and more women who have been vaccinated and have become pregnant. There are thousands and thousands of women who have had successful pregnancies after being vaccinated.”

Should I get the COVID-19 vaccine if I’m currently pregnant?

“Women who are currently pregnant or even women who have recently delivered [should] get the vaccine. Those are patients who…if they got COVID-19, [they] would be severely ill. Having those antibodies [from the vaccine] is going to protect them,” Dr. Ratchford says.

“For women who have either recently delivered or women who are lactating and breastfeeding, there's antibodies that are found in the umbilical cord in the breast milk. Potentially, there's even benefit for exposure to those antibodies to newborns,” he says. “We definitely recommend that if you're currently pregnant, or if you've recently delivered, that you go ahead and get vaccinated.”

Should I get the COVID-19 vaccine if I’m undergoing fertility treatment, like in vitro fertilization (IVF) or egg freezing?

“The vaccine doesn't contain any live virus, so it's not going to impact egg, sperm, placenta, etc. Typically, for women who are looking at becoming pregnant, they're seeking fertility treatments," Dr. Ratchford says. "We try to do what we can to maximize their fertility, and I would definitely include being vaccinated against COVID-19 as part of that plan.”