Who do we believe? The science or the conspiracy theorists? At the best of times, fertility and pregnancy are challenging however add Covid and the decision whether to vaccinate along with conspiracy theories circulating on social media and it is a recipe for confusion, added stress and anxiety, much of which could be avoided.
Currently, Drs are actively encouraging vaccine uptake, believing Covid itself can put a pregnancy at risk. We really need conspiracy theories to be challenged and women and people need to know the facts. You can read the Royal College of Obstetrician's and Gynaecologist's latest update on Vaccines, pregnancy and breastfeeding here [1]
A BBC news report has discovered that some have “cherry-picked figures” and used them to infer mass accumulation of the vaccine in the ovaries and that the study was “leaked” while in fact it was available publicly online. Another discovery was reports of increased numbers of miscarriage post-vaccination. On closer examination, this was based on figures reported to MHRA’s Yellow Card Scheme which is a voluntary reporting system which may not necessarily indicate that the vaccine was a direct cause of said miscarriage.[2]
In the US, a study has been carried out on the miscarriage rate in the vaccinated population and it found that the rate matches the general population average. While this is somewhat reassuring, we still need more large scale longitudinal studies and those that examine the impact of early pregnancy vaccination[3]
So where does this leave us? Maybe it’s time to have more regulation of these social media claims or ensure that robust science is the mainstay of health claims. Can science speak louder? For those trying to decide whether to get vaccinated you must arm yourself with as much reliable information as possible as at the end of the day the decision is yours but undoubtedly this little game of cat and mouse further complicates matters.
© PCOS Vitality
DISCLAIMER: Not medical advice. We do not provide medical advice. For information purposes only. We do not accept responsibility for any errors or omissions. Information accurate at time of press.
REFERENCES
[1] COVID-19 vaccines and pregnancy, (n.d.). https://www.rcog.org.uk/covid-vaccine (accessed April 18, 2021).
[2] Covid vaccine: Fertility and miscarriage claims fact-checked - BBC News, (n.d.). https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-57552527 (accessed August 11, 2021).
[3] S. TT, K. SY, M. TR, M. PL, O. T, P. L, M. PL, O. CK, L. R, C. KT, E. SR, B. VK, S. AN, G. CJ, L. C, Z. BC, A. M, M.-J. A, M. SW, G. JM, M.-D. DM, Preliminary Findings of mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine Safety in Pregnant Persons, N. Engl. J. Med. 384 (2021) 2273–2282. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMOA2104983.