A: Nope! You can knock that worry off your list. The COVID-19 mRNA vaccines do not lower sperm counts.
A recent study looked at sperm counts before and after vaccination with an mRNA vaccine (either Pfizer or Moderna). The long and the short of it, there was no significant change in sperm count or any other sperm parameters (things like volume or motility). The study used sperm samples from 45 folks between the ages of 25 and 31 who didn’t have any preexisting fertility issues or COVID-19 in the past 90 days. Samples were taken prior to the first shot and again about 70 days after the second shot. There was no negative effect on the sperm of these study participants. Though this was a small study in young, healthy people, it seems very unlikely a bigger study would find anything different. There is no plausible mechanism for the mRNA vaccines to impact sperm.
On the other hand, it is possible that COVID-19 infections may impact sperm health, at least in the short term (check our previous post about it). Getting vaccinated can help protect those swimmers!
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