How Does COVID-19 Vaccine Impact Reproductive Health?

Speaker 1: 00:00 While the benefits of getting vaccinated against COVID-19 are documented. Doctors are still learning how that vaccine impacts reproductive health while no link has been made. Some women have described changes to their menstrual cycle. Following the COVID-19 vaccine and many pregnant women are also weighing the safety of the vaccine versus the risk of contracting the virus while pregnant. Joining me is Dr. Anthony [inaudible] and OB GYN and fertility specialist with UC San Diego health. Dr. De welcome. Thank you. So first, how does the COVID-19 vaccine impact the menstrual cycle? We're hearing a lot of reports from people that that's happening. Speaker 2: 00:44 Actually, there's very little science about it. It doesn't seem to impact the menstrual cycle overall. Uh, it seems that COVID actually has effects on pregnancy. Uh, COVID vaccine can cause fever, and that may be an issue in the very early pregnancy and COVID can also affect males actually in many different ways. Speaker 1: 01:08 But so not necessarily the vaccine itself Speaker 2: 01:11 Is not necessarily the vaccine itself, especially the second shot of Moderna or Pfizer very often can cause fever. So there's concern in the first trimester of pregnancy, when the organs are forming that the fever can contribute to fetal anomalies. But other than that, doesn't seem to have effect on the reproductive health Speaker 1: 01:35 With that in mind, should pregnant people get the vaccine. Speaker 2: 01:39 It's a very difficult question because we still don't know a lot. Definitely. We have to discuss with patients consequences of vaccination versus consecrations of consequences of getting COVID. We know that getting COVID in pregnancy has adverse effect both for the mother and for the baby. Getting vaccine has theoretical adverse effect in very early pregnancy on it. And you can partly overcome this adverse effect by giving patients medications against fever, such as Tylenol, Speaker 1: 02:16 And what are the risks of COVID-19 to pregnancy? Speaker 2: 02:21 Well, there's fair amount of evidence that pregnant women are at increased risk of having severe form of illness. Uh, we also know that, uh, women who get pregnant and get COVID are at increased risk of preterm birth so-called intrauterine growth restriction, which means having baby growing slower and ultimately low birth weight Speaker 1: 02:44 We're practice. Have any patients been complaining of your heavy period or a menstrual cycle that starts early as a result of the vaccine? Speaker 2: 02:54 Not necessarily as a result of vaccine, you know, we have patients complaining of those problems, irrespective of vaccine, but I haven't noticed any increase in those complaints. Speaker 1: 03:07 Has the medical community had been able to gather enough research to fully understand if the vaccine has an impact on reproductive health? Speaker 2: 03:16 Well, the answer is no it's still new. Uh, and especially those new vaccines have completely different methodology and approach than, than all the vaccinations like flu vaccines and so on. So we are learning, but, uh, it appears that vaccines are safe. It appears that they do not cause adverse effects except for the short term muscle pain and fever, sometimes joint pains and headaches, especially after the second shot Speaker 1: 03:46 Will getting the vaccine affect fertility at all. Speaker 2: 03:50 We don't know for sure, but it doesn't appear to have adverse effects on fitted it. Speaker 1: 03:54 So what's the impact of COVID on the reproductive health. And Speaker 2: 04:00 It turns out that there's growing evidence that, uh, COVID contributes to, uh, erectile dysfunction. There appears to be, uh, association with testosterone deficiency and the lower quality of sperm. On the other hand, there's no evidence that COVID is transmitted through a seaman. So, uh, these fears can be laid to rest. Speaker 1: 04:26 Are there any other impacts to reproductive health, uh, from the actual COVID virus, Speaker 2: 04:33 It appears that COVID infection or pandemic itself, uh, led to a reduction in sexual satisfaction and decrease in intercourse frequencies, Speaker 1: 04:46 You know, could the stress of the pandemic be to blame for the sudden change? Many people are seeing in their reproductive health and not the vaccine at all. Speaker 2: 04:55 Absolutely. Uh, we know that stress, uh, is, uh, having tremendous effect on, on reproduction, especially the women and severe stress can actually stop menstrual cycle altogether. Speaker 1: 05:09 I have been speaking with Dr. Anthony Doleva and OB GYN and fertility specialist with UCLA health. Dr. Julia, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you very much for having me.