If you click on this story, you’re likely to be part of the growing number of people looking for answers about whether the coronavirus vaccine is safe for pregnant women or about the misinformation circulating online that suggests the vaccine may even cause infertility.
Canadian doctors say they have seen an increase in questions like these since vaccines were approved.
And it looks like Google’s search data is backing it up.
Over the past two weeks, the number of people searching for phrases such as “Pfizer Vaccine Pregnancy”, “COVID Vaccine Pregnancy” and “Coronavirus Vaccine Infertility” has skyrocketed worldwide, coinciding with the approvals and early release of vaccines in the UK and Canada and the US
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At the same time, the fact that the vaccine has not been tested in pregnant or lactating people (a common and increasingly criticized medical research problem) means that doctors are trying to guide patients on how best to weigh. potential risks and known risks, while also fighting misinformation.
“There has been a bit of a mixed message for so many things during the pandemic. We are learning so many new things at lightning speed and things change every day,” said Dr. Darine El-Chaâr, a specialist in maternal-fetal medicine. at the Ottawa Hospital and Scientific Clinic of the Ottawa Institute for Health Research.
El-Chaâr, who specializes in high-risk pregnancies and is currently leading a provincial study on the transmission of COVID-19 between individuals born and their babies, says the decision to exclude pregnant and breastfeeding women from trials of vaccine has real implications.
“It simply came to our notice then. Therefore, we do not have enough information and safety data to be able to advise women on risk, and this is where we are today, ”she said.
“The main problems are that front-line care workers, who care for many of the patients affected by the pandemic, are many of them pregnant or nursing. So they make up the majority of the workforce and are sure to want the vaccine.” .
According to the product monograph for the Pfizer vaccine, “the safety and efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in pregnant women have not yet been established.
“It is unknown whether the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is excreted in human milk. A risk to infants cannot be ruled out.”
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This motivated two main approaches in countries that have approved the vaccine.
The United Kingdom recommends that the vaccine not be given to people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or who may become pregnant within three months of the first dose, while Canada and the United States take a different stance.
Pregnant and breastfeeding people can still get the vaccine, but they should do so in consultation with their healthcare provider after weighing their personal risks of exposure and fully understanding that the vaccine has not been tested. in their demographics.
Public health officials say anyone getting vaccinated should avoid getting pregnant within two months of the last dose.
“At the end of the day, it allows women to make decisions about their bodies,” said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist who was recently appointed to the Ontario Vaccine Distribution Working Group.
“I think it’s a challenge to make general statements for all pregnant women, because it’s clear that what’s right for one person may not be right for another person … I think that’s the right approach.”
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El-Chaâr added that a key part of this conversation is the fact that while there is still no clinical data on how this specific vaccine affects pregnant women, there is very clear evidence of the significant risks these people have if they contract COVID-19 during pregnancy.
“We know the results are more serious.”
Can the coronavirus vaccine cause infertility?
Experts were also clear on what they do with unassigned, unsourced posts circulating on social media claiming that the Pfizer vaccine will cause infertility, a claim that even Facebook, often accused of facilitating the easy dissemination of health misinformation. , has since been marked as false.
At first glance, the misinformation exposes a seemingly simple narrative.
“The vaccine contains a spike protein (see image) called syncytin-1, vital for human placenta formation in women,” the fake post states.
“If the vaccine works in such a way that we form an immune response AGAINST the ear protein, we are also training the female body to attack syncytin-1, which could cause infertility for an unspecified duration.”
However, scientists say there is no basis for this claim.
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Syncytin-1 is a protein involved in placental development in mammals.
The gene that houses the protein first emerged in mammals millions of years ago and is actually the result of an ancient virus that integrates into mammalian DNA, according to Kyle Anderson, an assistant professor of biochemistry, microbiology and immunology at the University of Saskatchewan.
The coronavirus ear protein is an independent protein, and while there are a couple of similarities between some of its amino acids and those of the syncytin-1 protein, these similarities are minimal.
“The idea that our bodies recognize the Sars-CoV-2 spike protein and cause antibodies to destroy a woman’s placenta is as realistic as I can’t differentiate between taking my child’s hand and a hen’s foot. “Anderson said.
“Yes, they have the same evolutionary origin, but it doesn’t make sense when it comes to our innate ability to distinguish them.”
Roderick Slavcev, an associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Waterloo, offered a similar response and stressed that “no significant similarity is found between the two proteins, so there is no plausible reason for the cross-reactivity of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine reacts cross-linked and produces an immune response against Syncytin-1 “.
El-Chaâr also said there is no basis for the claim and said it is important for care providers to have honest and frank conversations with their patients about the information circulating about the vaccine.
“Certainly, this can be a challenge these days, as the pandemic lasts ten months, and there is as much new information as suppliers. I’m sure I see this fatigue, “he said. “But there really is no other option right now to continue to take good care of our patients and offer those answers.“
With files by Rachael D’Amore from Global.
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