New York – As widespread misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines and infertility took over social media, rumors spread as fast as the virus itself, and scared some women away from getting shot.
His patients ask Jay Huber, a New Orleans fertility doctor, daily if the patient vaccine causes infertility. He said there is no evidence that this is happening.
“I think it’s important to dispel the myths because patients should have access to accurate information,” Huber told CBS News.
So what’s the biggest misconception?
“This concept that vaccination will form the human immune system to create an antibody that would cross-react with the vital protein of the placenta, which would ultimately cause infertility,” he said.
The unfounded fear, Huber said, is that an antibody will not only attack the virus, but also the placenta.
Stacey Clarke, a 36-year-old nurse, receives fertility treatments from Huber. She fears the vaccine could somehow affect her ability to get pregnant.
“It’s too early to put something weird into my body going through what I’m going through,” he said. “There’s a lot of excitement. Because I’ve done it twice before and it wasn’t successful.”
Clarke said the idea of becoming sterile crossed her mind, but Huber reassured her.
“He, of course, feels a lot that there is enough evidence to get the vaccine,” he said of his discussions. “So for now we’ve come to an agreement.”
Clarke said many of his teammates shared these fears.
“We have the same feeling about the vaccine … We just don’t know the long-term effects on ourselves or on the fetus,” he said.
Huber addressed the issue: “I don’t think reproductive women should worry about their future fertility if they get this COVID-19 vaccine. The data we have so far is that the vaccine is very safe.”
Clarke said he doesn’t think there’s anything to change his mind about the vaccine. Not even this warning story by Anna Almendrala, 35. He became ill with COVID after fertility treatment.
In a video, she can be seen lying and tipping in the air.
“What’s scary is that things could change a penny with this virus,” he said.
Days later, he was in the hospital, writing a farewell letter to his daughter.
When asked what she would say to women who don’t want the vaccine, Almendrala referred to the prevalence of COVID in the United States
“I would say right now … with the virus so widespread, you either choose between getting the vaccine or getting the COVID,” he said.
Almadrala said she is relieved that there is a vaccine and that she will gladly take it when it is her turn.
“I think what this experience has really shown us is that we already have a lot to be thankful for,” he said. “I almost felt like I was a couple of days away from losing everything.”
Read more about our CBS News series “Women and the Pandemic” below: