Covishield vaccine not detrimental to male fertility potential, says study

Manipal: A team of Indian fertility researchers at Kasturba Medical College, Manipal looked into changes in sperm quality in vaccinated individuals and found that their fertility was unaffected. The study was reported in the official journal of the UK-based Society for Reproduction and Fertility.

One of the reasons for vaccine hesitancy in the population has been the concern about fertility impairment after vaccination. The research team managed to recruit 53 men who provided semen samples prior to receiving the first dose of their vaccine, after observing for two to seven days of abstinence. After about two months of vaccination, sperm quality was again assessed.

Those who had tested positive for COVID-19 or had symptoms of the same were not included in the study. No significant changes in the semen characteristics were observed between baseline and follow-up samples in men who received two doses of the vaccine.

Speaking about the study, Lt Gen (Dr) MD Venkatesh, Vice Chancellor, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, said “This is a significant step forward towards reassuring the safety of COVID vaccines commonly used in India. It will help in dispelling any myths associated and remove any apprehensions men may have regarding the vaccine safety.”

Professor Sharath Rao, the Dean of Kasturba Medical College, shared, “It is obviously a wise option to get vaccinated than suffer from the complications of COVID-19 infection. A study like this can help in reassuring people and remove any doubts they may have on whether to get vaccinated.’’

“Our initial observation has demonstrated that Covishield is not detrimental to sperm fertility potential. Importantly, no true semen abnormalities such as azoospermia (complete lack of sperm), absolute asthenozoospermia (loss of motility), and teratozoospermia (altered sperm structure) were found even in a single study subject who received the vaccine’’ shared Professor Satish Adiga, who lead the team for the study. The team included Huidrom Yaiphaba Meitei, Shubhashree Uppangala, Vani Lakshmi and Guruprasad Kalthur.

Professor Stefan Schlatt, member of WHO team that formulated guidelines for semen analysis and the Director of Centre of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, Germany, said “Myths and unproven reports on potentially damaging effects of Covid vaccinations on male fertility have spread globally and generated fears and hesitance to accept vaccinations. It is of utmost importance that valid clinical studies are available to generate evidence-based data on site effects of the vaccines. This study is the first to report clinical outcomes on sperm parameters in men before and after receiving Covishield vaccine. The results highlight no negative effect and no reason for concern. The study presents a milestone to disprove that vaccinations have negative impact on male fertility.”

Commenting further on the study, Dr Geetanjali Sachdeva, Director, NIRRCH, said “The study is really important, especially in the Indian context and also in terms of generating much-needed evidence to demonstrate that non-mRNA-based vaccines are also safe as these vaccines don’t adversely affect the reproductive potential of men. This evidence should dispel any fears among those men who are still hesitant to get vaccinated.”