COVID-19 Vaccination Does Not Affect Reproductive Health Parameters in Men.

Marco Reschini,Enrico Papaleo,Gianfranco Fornelli,Luca Boeri,Francesca Piazzini,Veronica Bandini,Edgardo Somigliana,Maria Elisabetta Coccia,Greta Chiara Cermisoni,Carolina Dolci,Paola Viganò,Luca Pagliardini

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.839967

Abstract

With the implementation of COVID-19 vaccine up-take, doubts regarding the impact of immunization on future fertility have begun to emerge. We have examined vaccine safety on male reproductive health. We set up a multicentre (three infertility centers), retrospective study in order to assess semen parameters and fertilization rate of one hundred-six men in a pairwise comparison between the first and second assisted reproduction technology (ART) attempt, performed respectively before and after COVID-19 vaccination. Median time (range) between the first vaccine dose and the second ART cycle was 75 days (39–112). Semen parameters did not change before and after the exposure. Fertilization rate was also similar before and after vaccination. Twenty-five patients (24%) were oligozoospermic before the vaccination while 26 (25%) after the exposure (P = 0.87). Severe asthenozoospermia were present in 11 patients before as well as after the exposure. No difference was observed even after considering different types of vaccines (mRNA or viral vector). COVID-19 vaccination did not affect sperm quality and fertilization capacity of men undergoing ART treatments and should be considered safe for men's reproductive health.

Highlights

Both types of COVID-10 vaccines, the messenger RNA vaccines and the vaccines utilizing a viral vector, have been shown to reduce COVID-19 infections, transmissions, hospitalizations and deaths in randomized controlled trials and real-world effectiveness studies (1)
The study was restricted to men who met the following eligibility criteria: (i) age > 18 years; (ii) have undergone two cycles of intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization before and after vaccination in the context of the couple’s infertility management; (iii) evaluation of basal semen parameters before and after the exposure in the context of the infertility management
This study was designed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 vaccination on semen parameters in a cohort of infertile men belonging to couples undergoing assisted reproduction technology (ART) programs at three tertiary referral centers in Italy

Summary

Introduction

Both types of COVID-10 vaccines, the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines and the vaccines utilizing a viral vector, have been shown to reduce COVID-19 infections, transmissions, hospitalizations and deaths in randomized controlled trials and real-world effectiveness studies (1). Headlines have appeared across multiple social media platforms questioning the effects of the newly authorized vaccines on fertility, with little or no scientific evidence supporting the claims. In this regard, recent studies have shown that both BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 vaccinations have no influence on sperm parameters of 45 young volunteers (5, 6). The impact of the vaccine on gamete functional competence has not been assessed. In this selected young population, the overall presence of semen parameters within the normal ranges may have hidden subtle differences potentially attributed to the vaccine. The potential effects of the two different vaccine-types were considered

Methods

Results

Conclusion