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Unfounded rumors that the COVID-19 vaccine causes impotence have entered public discourse because of comments by rapper Nicki Minaj.
It all started when Minaj recently tweeted that she would not be attending last week’s Met Gala due to her vaccination requirement. “They want you to get the Met’s shot,” she wrote in a since-deleted tweet. “If I get the shot, it won’t be for the Met. It will be once I feel like I’ve done enough research. I’m working on it now.”
Later she suggested that the vaccine could be linked to male infertility, a suspicion she said stemmed from a story she had heard about her cousin’s friend.
“My cousin in Trinidad will not receive the vaccine because his friend received it and has become impotent. His testicles have become swollen,” she said. wrote on Twitter. “Her friend was a few weeks away from getting married, now the girl has called off the wedding. So pray over it and make sure you are comfortable with your decision, not being bullied.”
Minaj’s incredible reach – 22.8 million following her on Twitter – combined with the anatomical peculiarity of the anecdote helped make her story about her cousin viral, spawned memes, condemnations from public health officials and even to trigger a rebuttal from the Minister of Health of Trinidad and Tobago, who said there was no record of such an incident in the Caribbean nation.
As other health experts have also attested, there is no scientific evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine will adversely affect a male reproductive system. Yet contracting the virus itself can cause reproductive health problems in men.
“I am not aware of any evidence that any of the COVID-19 vaccines cause male infertility, impotence or swollen testicles,” Allan Pacey, professor of andrology at the University of Sheffield. “However, I am aware of published reports which contagious COVID-19 may be associated with testicular pain, an increased frequency of erectile dysfunction, and a temporary reduction in sperm production. “
Channa Jayasena, Clinical Lecturer and Consultant in Reproductive Endocrinology and Andrology at Imperial College, agreed.
“There is no evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine causes impotence or testicular swelling in men,” Jayasena said. “However, a recent study suggests that a mild infection with COVID-19 (not the vaccine) may slightly reduce the number and quality of your semen.”
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Indeed, this message has been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology (SMRU), the Society for the Study of Male Reproduction (SSMR) and many other medical experts.
There have been studies specifically related to COVID-19 vaccines and fertility. Ranjith Ramasamy, director of reproductive urology at the University of Miami, co-authored a study on sperm count in 45 men aged 18 to 50.
“In this study, no significant changes in semen parameters were observed after vaccination of men with COVID-19 mRNA at 3 and 6 months of follow-up,” Ramasamy told Salon. “So far, vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective in the fight against COVID-19 without any evidence that they can have a negative impact on the sexual health of men or women.”
Despite this, Minaj’s comments reflect an ongoing false narrative among anti-vaccine and alternative health groups: that vaccines cause infertility in women and men. Similar to the unfounded fear of how COVID-19 vaccines could harm a woman’s reproductive system, male infertility is often used as a way to induce fear of getting the vaccine.
But why are the two – vaccines and fertility – often linked in anti-vaccine propaganda?
Experts speculate that this is, in part, because infertility fears play on common and deep human fears. In some cases, a lack of research around a topic can create a breeding ground for misinformation. And other times, myths stem from a misinterpretation of a study.
Unlike some previous cases of scientific misinformation stemming from retracted studies, it is not clear where the myths about COVID-19 vaccines harming the male reproductive system originate from. Aside from Minaj’s remarks, it is possible that the scientific evidence regarding fevers causing a temporary drop in sperm count has been manipulated.
As the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology (SMRU) and the Society for the Study of Male Reproduction (SSMR) explained in a joint statement: The trial experienced fever after the second dose. Fevers can cause a temporary drop in sperm production. “
Therefore, if a man suffers from a fever as a result of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the joint statement, that man may experience a temporary drop in sperm production.
“But it would be similar or less than if the person had a fever while developing COVID-19 or for other reasons,” the statement explained.
Conversely, there is scientific evidence that suggests infection with COVID-19 can affect male fertility, as several researchers have described. Ramasamy worked on a separate study where he and his colleagues analyzed autopsy tissue from the testes of six men who died from COVID-19 infection. They found that in three of the men there was a decrease in sperm count. The same study showed that a COVID-19 infection could lead to severe erectile dysfunction. The researchers speculated that this could be because the infection causes a reduction in the blood supply to the penis.
As Ramasamy wrote previously: “These findings are not entirely surprising. After all, scientists know that other viruses invade the testes and affect sperm production and fertility.”
All women or men concerned about their reproductive health and COVID-19 should get vaccinated, experts advise.
“I urge all men (and women) to get vaccinated when they get the chance,” Pacey said.
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