ODH, Doctors Dispelling Myths About COVID-19 Vaccines And Fertility

Doctors blame a range of misinformation and myths for the reasons why more Ohioans are not getting vaccinated for COVID-19.

So far, more than 5.3 million Ohioans have received one dose and 4.7 million are fully vaccinated. But Ohio’s health leaders say more people still need to get vaccinated in order to prevent geographic pockets where the virus can be a bigger problem and new variants could emerge.

Ohio's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, warned on Monday that the internet is rife with misinformation causing unnecessary concerns about the COVID-19 vaccines.

“The vaccines can’t give you COVID-19. Vaccines don't include any live virus and thus they can’t give you COVID-19,” Vanderhoff said, knocking down some of the more common myths, including the notion that the vaccines somehow contain some kind of microchip or tracking technology. “COVID-19 vaccines don’t contain other substances or materials that are harmful or controlling.”

Vanderhoff also said myths regarding fertility have been dispelled by data and the more than 100,000 trial participants who were pregnant.

“After the administration of more than 300 million doses and more than six months of national experience, the CDC has not reported any serious vaccine effects on reproductive health,” he said.

Dr. Lisa Egbert, President of the Ohio State Medical Association and an obstetrician/gynecologist with Paragon Women’s Care, said Monday there is absolutely no truth to the myth that the COVID-19 vaccine will affect fertility. It’s a notion people are getting from false social media posts.

“There is no scientific evidence nor is there a scientific pathway for there to be any ill effects towards fertility,” Egbert said. “Please don't be scared about the vaccine. Be scared about getting COVID and get the vaccine.”

Egbert also pushed back against the theory that women’s menstrual cycles are being changed by the vaccine.

“Women have variations in their menstrual cycle for all sorts of reasons and probably one of the most common is stress,” she said.

Dr. Neel Parekh, a urologist specializing in men’s infertility at the Cleveland Clinic, said COVID-19 vaccines do not affect male fertility, either. But getting COVID-19 itself can affect fertility, among many other long-term health issues the medical community is still working to understand, he said.

Egbert and other doctors say the COVID vaccines are safe and do not affect your DNA. They note someone who has had COVID might not have enough antibodies to protect them from getting it again and add the vaccine provides reliable protection. And they say COVID itself can cause long-term damage to your body.