Covid-19 vaccines and fertility FAQs

Yes. People of reproductive age are advised to have the vaccine when they receive their invitation for vaccination. This includes those who are trying to have a baby as well as those who are thinking about having a baby, whether that is soon or a few years.

No.
There is absolutely no evidence, and no theoretical reason, that any of the vaccines can affect the fertility of women or men. This includes whether you are trying on your own or having fertility treatment.

Yes.
You may wish to consider the timing of having a Covid-19 vaccine during your fertility treatment, taking into account that some people may get side effects in the few days after vaccination that they do not want to have during treatment. These include for example, tenderness at the injection site, fever, headache, muscle ache or feeling tired. It may be sensible to separate the date of vaccination by a few days from some treatment procedures (for example, egg collection in IVF), so that any symptoms, such as fever, might be attributed correctly to the vaccine or the treatment procedure.
Your medical team will be able to advise you about the best time for your situation.

The only reason to consider delaying fertility treatment until after you have been vaccinated would be if you wanted to be protected against Covid-19 before you were pregnant. The chance of successful treatment is unlikely to be affected by a short delay, for example of up to 6 months, particularly if you are 37 years of age or younger. However, delays of several months may affect your chance of success once you are over 37 and especially if you are 40 years of age or older.

Immediately – you do not need to delay your fertility treatment, unless you wish to have your second dose before pregnancy (see above).

Yes, you can have the vaccine in pregnancy. In the UK, pregnant women are advised to have the Covid-19 vaccine, preferably the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna mRNA vaccines. There is no reason to believe that any of the Covid-19 vaccines would be harmful in pregnancy. None of the vaccines contain live virus so there is no risk that the pregnant woman or her baby could get COVID-19 from the vaccine. No safety concerns have been found in research studies that have followed more than 130,000 pregnant women after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination in the USA and Scotland.

Yes.

COVID-19 vaccines do not contain any virus so you cannot pass on COVID-19 by receiving the vaccine. The Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority states that you must allow at least 7 days from the most recent vaccination before donating eggs or sperm. Ovarian stimulation for egg donors can start once 7 days have passed. If the donor feels unwell after the vaccination, they must not donate for 7 days after their symptoms have gotten better.

No.
There is no reason to postpone having your Covid-19 vaccine as it will not affect your risk of having a miscarriage.