Experts said allegations on social media that the Covid vaccine could affect female fertility are unfounded.
Participants incorrectly indicated that the Pfizer vaccine could cause infertility in women or cause their bodies to attack the placenta.
But there is no "reasonable biological mechanism" by which a vaccine could affect your fertility, says Professor Lucy Chappell, professor of obstetrics at Kings College London and spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
How does the vaccine work?
The vaccine works by sending a message to the body with a blueprint, allowing it to synthesize a harmless, small portion of the "spike" characteristic of the Coronavirus.
This pushes your immune system to work, producing antibodies and white blood cells to fight the virus - and recognize it if you encounter it again.
The virus cannot give you, and it has no way to affect your genetic information.
These "messenger particles" are very short-lived: they deliver their message and are then destroyed. That is why the Pfizer vaccine in particular must be stored very carefully - the genetic material breaks down and becomes useless very easily.
Professor Nicola Stonehouse, a virologist at the University of Leeds, said there is no possible way to think this might have an impact on reproductive health.
What does the guide say?
Online, some people pointed to a line in an earlier version of the guidelines published by the UK government stating that it was "unknown" whether the Pfizer vaccine had an effect on fertility. This has since been updated to clarify that animal studies do not indicate any adverse effects on the reproductive system.
Part of the confusion here is due to how scientists describe things compared to how most of us understand them in our daily lives.
When scientists say there is "no evidence," they mean that no long-term study has yet been done on this specific vaccine - but that doesn't mean there are no facts here at all or that we are shooting in the dark.
In fact, Professor Chappelle noted that there is a lot of evidence from other inanimate virus vaccines, including influenza vaccine, that they do not affect fertility, are completely safe and are recommended for use during pregnancy.
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Professor Stonehouse said that getting the same Covid virus - which the vaccine protects against - can affect fertility, so "you are more likely to have fertility problems after a Covid than a vaccine."
False placenta accusations
Some rumors indicated that the vaccine could threaten fertility because it contains proteins that are also used to make the placenta. Social media posts claim this could lead the body to attack the placenta.
This is not true - the vaccine contains a protein that is slightly similar to the protein used in developing the placenta but is not similar enough to overwhelm the body.
Vaccines are designed around the most distinct parts of the virus altitude to make sure it only recognizes it.
The fact that related proteins bear a fleeting resemblance "doesn't mean anything," says Professor Chapple, since so many similar proteins are located in different places in nature - it's their exact length and sequence that makes them unique.
Professor Chappelle, who specializes in the health of pregnant women and people hoping to conceive, said she had "no concerns" about fertility and the Covid vaccine.
"I have never heard of a vaccine affecting fertility," said Deputy Chief Medical Officer of England, Jonathan Van Tam, when answering questions from BBC viewers.
He described the proposal as "a bad and malicious scary story, but that's all."
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