As of November 2025, some healthcare organizations conclude that COVID-19 vaccines have no impact on fertility. But some researchers agree that more studies are needed to understand potential long-term effects.
Fertility refers to your ability to naturally conceive or induce a pregnancy. For females, fertility is the natural ability to conceive a baby, while for males, it’s when their sperm can fertilize a female’s ovarian egg.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO)Trusted Source, infertility is when two people are unable to conceive after having frequent sex without a condom or other barrier method for over 1 year.
Many people are concerned about the potential risks of COVID-19 vaccines. In particular, some worry about its impacts on reproductive health, fertility, and infertility treatments.
Several researchers and healthcare organizations, such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), have reported that no studies have found any impact of the COVID-19 vaccines on male or female fertility.
However, other researchers believe that more detailed studies are needed to understand the potential long-term effects of the vaccines on fertility and reproductive health.
Keep reading to learn more about how the COVID-19 vaccines may affect female and male fertility.
Interpreting the data
A significant portion of the research examining potential changes in fertility rates resulting from the COVID-19 vaccines is based on ecological studies.
This type of observational research method assesses the relationship between a health outcome and exposure at the population level.
Ecological studies may provide insight into how the COVID-19 vaccines affect fertility rates, but they don’t provide information on individual characteristics, such as whether the vaccines can biologically impact fertility.
Speak with a healthcare professional if you’re trying to conceive and are concerned about the potential effects of COVID-19. They can provide you with the information, guidance, and support you need
Can the COVID-19 vaccines affect female fertility?
Female fertility refers to an individual’s natural ability to become pregnant. Several biological, hormonal, and environmental factors contribute to natural conception and fertility.
Since COVID-19 vaccines were introduced to the public in 2020, people have been concerned about their effects on female fertility, and some public authorities and influential figures have claimed that they do, in fact, affect female fertility.
As of November 2025, five COVID-19 vaccines have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These include:
- COMINARTYTrusted Source Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
- PfizerTrusted Source Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
- ModernaTrusted Source COVID-19 vaccine
- SPIKEVAXTrusted Source COVID-19 vaccine
- NUVAXOVIDTrusted Source COVID-19 vaccine
The manufacturers of each vaccine claim that it has no effect on female fertility. However, these conclusions were based on a single animal study for each vaccine, which lasted up to 1 month. No studies assessed the possible effects on male fertility, nor were any conducted in humans.
That said, healthcare organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source and the ACOG suggest that COVID-19 vaccines don’t affect female fertility.
Some studies have found similar results. For instance:
- A 2024 study found that COVID-19 vaccines had no significant impact on female fertility between 2019 and 2022 in individuals in over 100 countries.
- A 2024 review suggests that COVID-19 vaccines have no impact on female fertility and don’t increase the risk of a stillborn fetus or pregnancy loss.
- A 2025 study in 80 female participants concluded that COVID-19 vaccines didn’t affect female fertility.
- A 2022 survey in 2,126 self-identified female participants found that COVID-19 vaccines had no negative effects on female fertility.
Despite these findings, some researchers suggest that more detailed studies are needed to better understand how the vaccines can affect human fertility long term, especially in relation to embryo toxicity, genotoxicity, and sperm health.
Can the COVID-19 vaccines affect male fertility?
Male fertility refers to the sperm’s ability to naturally fertilize an egg from an ovary to induce pregnancy. Three sperm parametersTrusted Source play key roles in male fertility:
- Count: This is the number of sperm cells found in a sample.
- Motility: This refers to how fast, efficiently, and effectively a sperm cell can move.
- Quality: This refers to a sperm cell’s viability, or ability to survive and work successfully.
The CDCTrusted Source suggests that the COVID-19 vaccine has no impact on male fertility. Several studies have found similar results. For instance:
- A 2024 review of 24 studies found that COVID-19 vaccines had no negative effects on male fertility, reproductive health, or sperm parameters.
- A 2022 review of 29 studies found that COVID-19 vaccines had no negative effects on sperm count, motility, or quality.
- A 2022 review of 7 studies also found that COVID-19 vaccines didn’t impact sperm parameters.
While the COVID-19 vaccine seems to have no effect on male fertility, it’s important to note that a COVID-19 infection may have short-term impacts.
The 2022 study listed above found that males with COVID-19 had lower fertility rates for up to 60 days after infection compared to those who had never tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 or who had tested positive more than 60 days prior.
Similarly, according to the 2024 review, some studies found that COVID-19 infection impacted key sperm parameters involved in fertility, including sperm count, quality, and motility.
This may be due to the inflammatory effects of COVID-19 on blood vessels and tissues in the testes, as they contain host cells commonly targeted by SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The effects of COVID-19 on male fertility are most likely short term, but consider speaking with a doctor if you continue to experience difficulty inducing conception after 60 days of infection.
Fertility treatments, known as assisted reproductive technology (ART), are types of medical treatments that handle the sperm and egg outside of the body.
A 2024 study found no significant difference in sperm or egg quality between vaccinated and non-vaccinated people who were undergoing a type of ART called in vitro fertilization (IVF).
A 2025 study in females undergoing IVF-frozen embryo transfer (IVF-FET) found that receiving the COVID-19 vaccine before ovarian stimulation was associated with a slight decrease in IVF-FET success.
However, the researchers concluded that receiving a vaccine more than 90 days before ovarian stimulation may reduce these potential effects.
Overall, more research is needed to better understand the relationship between COVID-19 vaccines and fertilization treatments.
