While there’s no evidence any of the Covid vaccines cause problems with fertility, becoming severely ill from the disease has the potential to do so, reproduction experts say, making vaccination all the more important. .

“There is evidence to suggest that infection with SARS-CoV-2 has the potential to impact both male fertility, female fertility, and certainly the health of a pregnancy of someone infected,” said Dr.

“And there is simultaneously no evidence that the vaccine has any negative impact on male or female fertility.” .

But the fact that male and female reproductive organs have the receptors the Covid virus targets means it’s certainly plausible that the virus could cause fertility issues, she said. .

Moreover, the symptoms of Covid — primarily fever higher than 102 degrees Fahrenheit for at least three days — are known to cause fertility issues, especially in men.

Although not considered common complications of Covid in particular, these effects are often associated with reduced fertility, and are enough to lead scientists to hypothesize that Covid may cause fertility issues in men, warranting further research in this area. .

She said although she doesn’t think the virus itself directly leads to infertility, she’s noticed that some of her male patients have experienced infertility due to low sperm counts after having Covid.

Most of the research on Covid and its effects on fertility have focused on men, but the few studies in women have found that neither the virus nor its symptoms seem to have a major impact on menstruation or hormone cycles

The vaccine does not decrease fertility, nor does it negatively affect reproduction, but there is very clear evidence that getting Covid while pregnant is incredibly dangerous, Kawwass said

Doctors aim to do everything they can to help patients conceive and prepare for a healthy pregnancy, she said, and the Covid vaccine is “just part of that.”