IMR Press / CEOG / Volume 50 / Issue 12 / DOI: 10.31083/j.ceog5012267
Open Access Original Research
COVID-19 Vaccination, Adverse Effect, and SARS-CoV-2 Infection among Couples in Infertility Clinic: A Prospective Study
Show Less
1 CHA Fertility Center Bundang, CHA University, 13488 Gyeonggi-Do, Republic of Korea
2 Department of Preventive Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, 13520 Seoul, Republic of Korea
3 Department of Public Health Science, Korea University, 13520 Seoul, Republic of Korea
4 Department of Pediatrics, Korea University Anam Hospital, 13520 Seoul, Republic of Korea
*Correspondence: seungah@korea.ac.kr (Seung-Ah Choe); jeehyun678@cha.ac.kr (Jee Hyun Kim)
These authors contributed equally.
§Both equally supervised the study.
Clin. Exp. Obstet. Gynecol. 2023, 50(12), 267; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.ceog5012267
Submitted: 7 August 2023 | Revised: 20 September 2023 | Accepted: 27 September 2023 | Published: 19 December 2023
Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Abstract

Background: Although periconception vaccination is important for maternal and neonatal health, vaccine hesitancy could pose a challenge to achieving a healthy pregnancy in infertile women. We assessed the prevalence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) booster vaccination, associated factors, adverse event after vaccination, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among women seeking fertility treatment. Methods: We used the data from participants of the Pregnancy and Urban Environment study (PRUNE study), which is a prospective observational study designed to explore the association between pregnancy and the urban environment in infertile couples. From October 2019 to September 2021, a total of 534 patients provided informed consent and participated in the first and second rounds of a mobile survey conducted at six-month intervals. In the second and third rounds of the survey, we included questions about COVID-19 vaccination and SARS-CoV-2 infection. Adjusted risk ratios (aRR) were calculated for COVID-19 booster vaccination and SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results: All the women participating in the survey had completed the primary series of COVID-19 vaccination. The booster vaccination rate was 38.5%, and the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was 34.4%. The likelihood of receiving a booster vaccination was higher when women reported alcohol consumption (aRR = 1.90, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03–3.51, p = 0.041). SARS-CoV-2 infection was inversely associated with nulliparity (aRR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.17–1.09, p = 0.077). Among the women vaccinated against COVID-19, 44.3% of respondents reported at least one adverse reaction after receiving the vaccine. Conclusions: All the women participating in the survey had completed primary series of COVID-19 vaccination. The booster vaccination rate was 38.5%, and the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was 34.4%. Among the vaccinated women, 44.3% reported experiencing at least one adverse reaction after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Fever/chilling was the most common (61.8%), followed by abnormal vaginal bleeding/menstrual irregularity (41.8%). A targeted education program by health professionals is needed to promote the benefits of periconception vaccination and reduce the resistance to the COVID-19 vaccine among infertile couples. Clinical Trial Registration: The study was registered at Clinical Research Information Service (https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/info/dataset.do), registration number: KCT0003560.

Keywords
COVID-19
booster vaccination
infertility
vaccine hesitancy
adverse effect
SARS-CoV-2
Funding
22183MFDS433/Ministry of Food and Drug Safety from 2022–2025
Q2208741/SK Bioscience Co., Ltd
Figures
Fig. 1.
Share
Back to top