Comprehensive evaluation of the effect of inactivated SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination on female fertility: A retrospective cohort study

Abstract

AbstractFear of possible negative effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) vaccine on fertility is the main reason for vaccine hesitancy among the public especially women of childbearing age. Despite the high coverage of COVID‐19 vaccination in China, more scientific evidence is still needed to address their concerns and guide fertility counseling and management in the future. Herein, we performed a retrospective cohort study at a single large center for reproductive medicine in China between August 2020 and May 2023. Patients aged 20–42 years with no history of laboratory‐confirmed COVID‐19 were included and categorized into different groups according to their vaccination status. The serum sex hormone levels, anti‐Müllerian hormone concentrations, embryo quality, and pregnancy outcomes were evaluated and compared among them. We found there were no significant differences in the concentrations of follicle‐stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone and progesterone between the unvaccinated, first‐dose, second‐dose, and booster vaccinated groups. However, the estradiol showed a highly significant increase in the one‐dose vaccinated group compared with its levels in other groups. Among unvaccinated and either vaccinated patients, anti‐Müllerian hormone levels were comparable (p = 0.139). The number of oocytes retrieved, fertilization rate and good‐quality embryo rate were all similar between each group of in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection. No significant differences were observed regarding other laboratory parameters. Moreover, the vaccination status of infertile couples did not exert any adverse effect on the pregnancy outcomes in all assisted reproductive technologies cycles. In short, we comprehensively evaluated the reproductive safety of inactivated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 vaccine and found any dose of vaccination wouldn't negatively affect female fertility parameters such as sex hormone levels and ovarian reserve. Moreover, this is the first study to complete the live birth follow‐up of the cohort after receiving inactivated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 vaccine, further dispelling the misconception and providing reassurance for decision‐making by clinicians.