Do Vaccines Cause Infertility? Myth vs Evidence

What does it mean?

In many Pakistani communities, especially in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, parents are told — through forwarded WhatsApp videos, mosque-loudspeaker rumors, or word of mouth — that polio drops cause *banjhpan* (infertility) or impotence in boys, and that the vaccine is a foreign plot to reduce the Muslim population. Similar rumors have attached themselves to other vaccines: that tetanus shots given to women secretly sterilize them, that the HPV vaccine affects girls' fertility, and that COVID vaccines harm the ability to have children. We state this belief respectfully, because it comes from a place of love: parents are trying to protect their children's future. The tragedy is that acting on this rumor leaves children unprotected against diseases that genuinely can destroy their future — polio can paralyze a child for life.

Common causes

• 1The CDC's position covers all vaccines.
  The CDC's position covers all vaccines. In its guidance for people planning pregnancy, the CDC states there is "currently no evidence that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause fertility problems in women or men" — and cites large studies: couples trying to conceive got pregnant at normal rates whether vaccinated or not, semen quality did not meaningfully change after vaccination, and assisted-reproduction outcomes were similar in vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. (Small, temporary changes in menstrual-cycle length were observed in some studies — a cycle-length change is not infertility.) CDC via published guidance summary
• 2Large studies found no fertility harm from the HPV vaccine.
  Large studies found no fertility harm from the HPV vaccine. A Danish nationwide cohort of nearly one million girls and women (JAMA Network Open, 2021) found no link between HPV vaccination and primary ovarian insufficiency; a large US study on primary ovarian insufficiency (Naleway 2018, via Vaccine Safety Datalink) found no elevated risk; and the WHO vaccine-safety committee's 2019 review concluded the available data do not support an association between HPV vaccination and infertility or ovarian insufficiency (WHO GACVS).
• 3Polio drops: tested in Pakistan itself.
  Polio drops: tested in Pakistan itself. In 2015, Pakistan's own National Control Laboratory for Biologicals — regulated by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) — tested the polio vaccine used in Pakistan and confirmed it contains no hormones or chemicals that could affect fertility or health. Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme, via The News An earlier Dawn report describes the same lab testing multiple OPV lots and finding no detectable human hormones. The same formulation is used in every Muslim-majority country, and Islamic scholars worldwide have declared it halal.
• 4Pakistani Ulema examined this exact claim.
  Pakistani Ulema examined this exact claim. In September 2006, at a joint meeting of Ulema and medical experts organized with WHO and UNICEF, the issued edict stated that "no anti-fertility agent [is] added to [the drops] at any stage of manufacturing nor [is] any such agent present in the final product." Business Recorder
• 5The tetanus-vaccine sterilization story was investigated and rejected.
  The tetanus-vaccine sterilization story was investigated and rejected. In Kenya, after Catholic bishops alleged the tetanus vaccine was laced with a sterilizing hormone, the dispute went like this: at the request of Catholic doctors, 59 vials were tested; 3 were reported positive for beta-hCG. WHO and UNICEF rejected the claim in a joint statement: the allegations were "not backed up by evidence," the vaccines came from a prequalified manufacturer under a three-stage global testing system, and the same tetanus vaccine had safely reached more than 130 million women with at least two doses in 52 countries. WHO/UNICEF joint statement, via Capital FM Kenya Where did this rumor come from in the first place? In the 1990s the WHO did fund laboratory research into an experimental hCG-based contraceptive vaccine — that real research program is the seed this rumor grew from; it was a published research project, never a secret sterilization campaign.
• 6The HPV version of this rumor is already hurting Pakistan.
  The HPV version of this rumor is already hurting Pakistan. When Pakistan launched its HPV vaccination campaign in September 2025, health workers reported the same infertility fear — this time aimed at daughters — restricting uptake. It is the same rumor wearing a different vaccine's name. Healthcare Information For All

When to worry

Prevention & practical tips

• ✓Vaccinate your children on schedule — polio drops in every campaign round plus the injectable vaccine in routine immunization. Repeated doses are normal and safe; one dose is not enough where the virus still circulates.
• ✓Ask, don't forward. If a video or message claims a vaccine causes infertility, ask your doctor or Lady Health Worker before believing it — and do not forward it until checked. Forwarded fear spreads faster than facts.
• ✓Talk to your religious scholar if the concern is religious: the polio vaccine used in Pakistan has been declared halal by Islamic leaders worldwide, including the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia and muftis of all sects in Pakistan. Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme, via The News
• ✓Remember what the real risk is. Polio has no cure. About 1 in 200 infections causes irreversible paralysis. The drops' serious side effects are extraordinarily rare (roughly one case in 2–3 million doses) — the wild virus circulating in Pakistan is the real danger. (Figures from our Umer-reviewed polio vaccine article.)

FAQs

References

• stacks.cdc.gov: https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/111495/cdc_111495_DS1.pdf
• jamanetwork.com: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2783512
• bioengineer.org: https://bioengineer.org/large-study-finds-hpv-vaccination-does-not-negatively-impact-fertility-in-adolescents/
• who.int: https://www.who.int/groups/global-advisory-committee-on-vaccine-safety/topics/human-papillomavirus-vaccines/infertility
• iportal.riphah.edu.pk: https://iportal.riphah.edu.pk/newspaper/pakistans-polio-struggle/
• dawn.com: https://www.dawn.com/news/1156931
• brecorder.com: https://www.brecorder.com/news/3315051/rumours-about-harmful-affects-of-polio-vaccine-brushed-aside-20060904471596
• capitalfm.africa: https://capitalfm.africa/un-childrens-fund-who-say-tetanus-vaccine-safe/