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I found that it was mostly my patients who had just undergone IVF or had recently become pregnant that were most nervous about any potential negative effects on the fetus. Most eventually got vaccinated, but I do have a few patients that did not get vaccinated throughout their entire pregnancy, whether it be for fear of anything “could” happen to the baby due to a vaccine or for the fact that they simply didn’t see the “need” for the vaccine.
RE’s that I work had the same suggestion as in the article, wait about a week after being vaccinated before doing IVF or have it done after the ER in case they were to have some basic vaccine side effects such as fever, chills, fatigue, etc.
I do think that a lot of misinformation has/had been flying around with the vaccination for a variety of reasons – social media, lack of consistent dissemination of information, etc in regard to impact on fertility. I certainly saw patients that had a few irregular cycles after being vaccinated, myself included which I didn’t put two and two together for myself until after I had a minor freak out that I could be starting peri menopause. 🙈
All this said, I am curious what strategies some have in place for staying up with the latest and greatest information regarding fertility and our field. I would love to find a simple way to stay “in the know” while being super busy day to day with my practice and family. I am an ABORM fellow and do read article updates that are shared in our email list. I would love to hear different ideas and ways you stay connected as well as keep info organized for references. I find its a balance to know what is going on in western medicine but also to try not to let it fully take over eastern treatment approaches and the way we diagnose.