Beacon CARE Fertility would like to address specific questions raised about the vaccine relating to fertility treatment, trying to conceive and pregnancy.
Should men and women receive the COVID-19 vaccine before attempting conception?
Beacon CARE Fertility encourages women with pre-existing medical conditions (and therefore, at a higher risk of COVID-19 and/or pregnancy complications) to consider vaccination before attempting conception.
The same advice applies to women who have an unavoidable, high risk of exposure to COVID 19 (e.g. frontline healthcare workers).
Should couples who receive the COVID-19 vaccination postpone conception, and if so, for how long?
Beacon CARE Fertility’s current advice is to postpone your fertility treatment (sperm collection, ovarian stimulation, embryo transfer) for at least one week after the completion of vaccination (i.e. after the second dose).This will allow time for the immune response to settle.
Additionally, in the absence of clear information on the effect of the COVID-19 vaccine on oocytes and sperm, embryo implantation and early stages of pregnancy, and to allow time for antibody development, patients may also consider postponing the start of fertility treatment for up to 2 months after the completion of the vaccination.
Should pregnant women be vaccinated?
It is now clear that pregnant patients with COVID-19 are at a greater risk of more severe illness than non-pregnant women. The safety of COVID-19 vaccines in human pregnancy has not been evaluated to date.
Therefore, if you are pregnant, you should be aware of the current lack of long-term human studies on the COVID-19 vaccination, before receiving the vaccine.
If you become pregnant the decision on whether or not to receive the vaccine should be made in close consultation with your treating doctor, after considering the individual benefits and risks.
