Joint Statement Regarding COVID-19 Vaccine in Men Desiring Fertility from the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology (SMRU) and the Society for the Study of Male Reproduction (SSMR)
As of January 9, 2021, there are no data about the impact of the COVID-19 vaccine on male or female fertility.
For women, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) recommends that pregnant and lactating women be offered the COVID-19 vaccine. Similarly, the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine has recommended that pregnant women have access to the currently approved Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
Finally, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine does not recommend withholding the vaccine from patients who are planning to conceive, and they state that ”patients undergoing fertility treatment and pregnant patients should be encouraged to receive vaccination based on eligibility criteria.“
For men, the SMRU and SSMR recommend that:
- The COVID-19 vaccine should not be withheld from men desiring fertility who meet criteria for vaccination.
- COVID-19 vaccines should be offered to men desiring fertility, similar to men not desiring fertility, when they meet criteria for vaccination.
It should be noted that about 16% of men in the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial got a fever after the second dose. Fevers can cause temporary declines in sperm production. Thus, if a man gets a fever from the COVID-19 vaccine, he may see a temporary decline in sperm production, but that would be similar as if the man got a fever from getting a COVID-19 infection or if the man got a fever for other reasons.