Pfizer, Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Won’t Affect Sperm Count, Study Finds

Men can now heave a sigh of relief as far as getting the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine. Concerns were raised on whether getting the jab from the two companies would affect their sperm count. A study has proven that there are no significant decreases in any sperm parameter after taking the two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showing there was no significant drop in sperm count. Researchers from the University of Miami studied the sperm quality of 45 healthy volunteers before their first shot and then 70 days after when they got the second jab.

“Because the vaccines contain mRNA and not the live virus, it is unlikely that the vaccine would affect sperm parameters,” study author Dr. Ranjith Ramasamy, director of male reproductive medicine and surgery at the University of Miami Health System stated.

These findings should now soothe the worries of men who were initially reluctant to take the jab following premature reports tied to fertility issues.

“We now have evidence that should reassure you that the risk of immunization compromising your sperm count is extremely low,” Dr. David Cohen, co-medical director of the Institute for Human Reproduction in Chicago said to CNN.

However, the author of the study cautioned that their findings may be limited because of its small sample size composed of pre-screened young, healthy men. It was done through semen analysis but this is allegedly an imperfect predictor of fertility potential.

The volunteers were aged between 18 to 50 years old with a median age of 28. All had no pre-existing fertility issues.

Also, the study did not include Johnson & Johnson or AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines. Both are not based on mRNA platforms.

But Dr. Ranjith Ramasamy, director of male reproductive medicine and surgery at the University of Miami Health System, feels that these vaccines work fairly similarly despite different genetic material.

“So based on biology, we don't think there should be anything different with the other two vaccines," Ramasamy explained.