Fertility doctors working to dispel COVID-19 vaccine misinformation
Public can hear about rail station in Kendall County
Dr. Eve Feinberg proactively brings up the COVID19 vaccine with patients who are hoping to get pregnant, in order to get ahead of misinformation about the inoculation.
Dr. Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron has written blog posts with headlines straight to the point, like “The COVID-19 vaccine won’t cause infertility.”
Doctors who specialize in pregnancy and fertility are coming out in full force against vaccine-related misinformation that falsely connects the vaccine and infertility, educating their patients of childbearing age and urging them to educate themselves with reliable sources.
“I very much feel as a physician, as a leader, we have to be vaccine ambassadors and educate the public,” said Feinberg, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern’s medical school. “We need to really dispel a lot of anti-vaccine propaganda out there.”
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists last month put out a statement assuring patients that “there is no evidence that the vaccine can lead to
loss of fertility.”
Experts point out that the COVID-19 vaccines have nothing to do with the reproductive system, and that the vaccines do not use live viruses or alter human DNA. But they stress that the danger of contracting COVID-19 when pregnant is real, including increased risk of hospitalization, premature delivery and other delivery complications. The CDC has added pregnancy to its list of conditions that are deemed high risk.
“You take a healthy 30-year-old with zero risk
factors … she becomes pregnant and now she has a risk factor,” said Hirshfeld-Cytron, a reproductive endocrinologist with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
Still, doctors continue to field questions from patients in their 20s and 30s who are concerned about the vaccine impacting their fertility, driven by misinformation spread online. At least one viral image falsely claimed that a protein in the vaccine could make women infertile.
“There is no basis of that in science,” Feinberg said of that post. “That planted a lot of doubt and ... in an age where things go viral, that blog post did a lot of damage.”
A study on vaccine hesitancy from the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that about 12% of people who heard the myth about the vaccine and infertility either believed it or were unsure.
Feinberg also noted that women may be fearful because of a “bad history” of unsafe medications given to pregnant women in the past, like thalidomide, which caused birth defects in children after it was given to pregnant women in the 1950s and ‘60s to treat morning sickness.
But doctors assure people that it is safe to take the vaccine.
“There’s nothing in the mechanism or action of the currently available mRNA vaccines that suggest any impact on fertility,” said Dr. Sigal Klipstein, a fertility specialist at InVia Fertility, which has offices in the Chicago area. “It doesn’t affect the ovaries or reproductive system.”
Klipstein also pointed out that though the vaccine came about quickly, “all of the regular safeguards” were implemented.
Though pregnant women were not included in vaccine trials, the CDC and medical associations have said that pregnant women should not be denied vaccine due to the risk posed by getting COVID19 during pregnancy.
“If you are trying to get pregnant, right now is an excellent time to become vaccinated,” Klipstein said.
Area residents will be able to learn about the potential extension of Metra service into Kendall County at a virtual open house from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Zoom or phone connections.
Federal funds were allocated in the early 2000s for a proposal to extend Metra train service beyond Aurora into Kendall County along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railway. A ninemile rail line would be needed to bring commuter rail service to the Kendall region.
The region’s communities have been pushing for the extension to serve the growing population in the county. The last open house on the issue was held in 2019.
As part of a collaborative effort with municipalities and the county, Metra initiated the Kendall Extension Study to look at the feasibility of extending the BNSF commuter rail line beyond Aurora, officials said. The study is examining new outlying yard locations in addition to new commuter rail stations in Montgomery, Oswego, Yorkville, Plano and Sandwich, Michael Gillis, Metra director of communications, said in a news release.
The study includes an analysis of station site options, potential environmental impacts, projected ridership and cost considerations, Gillis said.
The results of the analysis will provide information to local municipalities and governments so they can make decisions about how to proceed with the plan, he said.
New local funding will be needed to design, construct, operate and maintain the extension. Extending commuter rail service to Kendall County, which is beyond the six-county Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) service area, would require approval from BNSF, RTA and Metra, officials said.
It may also require potential changes in state law, according to Gillis.
Kendall County is the only collar county in the Chicago area that is not a member of the RTA. One option to join the RTA is to place a countywide referendum on the ballot to join the group. However, local governments have not made a decision on that aspect of the plan.
The public outreach for this stage of the study will conclude with a final virtual public meeting and a survey to collect feedback and comments about the extension.
The public can join the virtual meeting Wednesday online or by dialing in by phone. The virtual meeting will allow the public to learn about the study, view exhibits and provide comments, officials said. After a series of brief presentations, project staff will be available to answer questions.
A copy of the presentation and survey will be placed on the project website at metrarail.com/kendallextension for anyone who is unable to participate in the virtual public meeting.
To participate in the virtual open house go to https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88341652795 or call 312-626-6799 and enter meeting ID: 883 4165 2795.