COLUMBUS – Doctors worry that myths and misinformation linking the COVID-19 vaccine to infertility or pregnancy issues are preventing many women from getting vaccinated, which puts them and their babies at risk.
Infectious disease experts at OSU’s Wexner Medical Center are trying to set the record straight.
“There is absolutely no evidence to support that vaccines cause infertility or any problems during pregnancy. These are cruel rumors that prey upon the fear that a lot of women have of not being able to have children,” said Dr. Nora Colburn, an infectious disease physician at the medical center and an assistant professor in the OSU College of Medicine.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not find any increased risk of miscarriage among pregnant women who received a vaccine and say there is no evidence to support that vaccines cause infertility or any problems during pregnancy, but research does indicate that pregnant women who get sick with the disease are at higher risk of serious illness.
“Pregnant women who become infected with COVID-19 are at much higher risk of being admitted to the ICU, needing a ventilator and dying. And any complications for mom can also be extremely dangerous for her baby,” Colburn said.
To avoid false information on the internet, communications experts at the hospital say readers should ask if the research team has appropriate training and facilities to evaluate the data, if the study is correctly designed with positive and negative controls, whether the authors have any conflicts that might impact the outcome of the study and if the study has been peer-reviewed.