The Covid-19 pandemic has imposed a lot of setbacks in the medical field, especially pertaining to the field of gynecology and obstetrics. Several women trying to conceive or are pregnant have expressed their aversion to getting the Covid-19 mRNA vaccine.
A study conducted with vaccinated and unvaccinated women undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation cycles found no significant association or risks associated with the fertilization rate and the Covid-19 mRNA vaccine. The study was published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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According to the reports, the researchers found no notable association between the Covid-19 vaccine and the other secondary outcomes during the IVF journey, including egg retrieval, mature oocyte retrieval, the mature oocytes ratio, blastulation rate, or the euploid rate. This data was collected from 222 vaccinated and 983 unvaccinated patients undergoing fertility treatments between February and September 2021.
Similarly, the data was also analyzed in patients undergoing single euploid frozen-thawed embryo transfer, including 214 vaccinated patients and 733 unvaccinated patients. The results were similar, with significant impacts demonstrated due to the vaccination. The researchers didn’t find any influencing factors that suggest that the administration of the Covid-19 mRNA vaccine altered fertility rates.
This retrospective cohort study was conducted with patients undergoing fertility treatments under a single academic center. The two pressing subjects – controlled ovarian hyperstimulation or single euploid frozen-thawed embryo transfer were assessed independently and then as an entity to check for the overall pregnancy success rates in the patients.
The researchers also indulged in multivariable linear regression, keeping a check on the age, BMI, certain hormonal levels, and even the stimulation type to get correct readings. Despite keeping all the influencing factors constant, the researchers couldn’t establish notable risks associated with vaccination and fertilization rates (both primary and secondary outcomes).
All in all, the findings conclude that the administration of the mRNA Covid-19 vaccination doesn’t alter or reduce the reproductive potential of the patients undergoing IVF treatment.
This clinical trial further adds to the increasing evidence that there is no significant correlation between the vaccination and the fertility rates or risks. The ongoing clinical trials are time and time providing with enough reassuring conclusions concerning the relation between Covid-19 vaccination and rates of pregnancies.
The analysis of the impacts of the Covid-19 vaccination on the controlled ovarian hyperstimulation outcomes further enables the researchers to analyze the oocyte quality, embryo quality, or other developmental issues associated with the same.
The study does impose a few limitations as it didn’t check the antibody levels or even test for the SARS-CoV-2 infection in the patients partaking in the study. However, the study successfully inferred that there is no correlation or risks associated with the Covid-19 vaccination on embryo development, implantation, or even with early pregnancy loss in the patient population.
References:
1-Aharon, Devora MD; Lederman, Matthew MD; Ghofranian, Atoosa MD; Hernandez-Nieto, Carlos MD; Canon, Chelsea MD; Hanley, William BA; Gounko, Dmitry MA; Lee, Joseph A. BA; Stein, Daniel MD; Buyuk, Erkan MD; Copperman, Alan B. MD In Vitro Fertilization and Early Pregnancy Outcomes After Co… : Obstetrics & Gynecology (lww.com): January 25, 2022 – Volume – Issue – 10.1097/AOG.0000000000004713 doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000004713
