Your questions, answered "Are teenage boys at risk for becoming sterile if they get a covid vaccine? If they get one, which is best?" — Carol in Illinois Teenage boys, and for that matter everyone else, are not at risk of becoming infertile because of coronavirus vaccines. That immunizations can cause infertility is a myth. As Sean O'Leary, vice chair of the Committee on Infectious Diseases for the American Academy of Pediatrics, told The Washington Post in May, "no vaccine in history has ever had any impact on fertility." Not only is there no historical evidence for post-vaccine infertility, this claim has little basis in how vaccines work. It does not make much biological sense — vaccines provoke a response from immune cells, which are completely different from reproductive cells. But you're not alone in asking this, which is why scientists have double-checked the coronavirus vaccines. In a study published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers at the University of Miami assessed the sperm of 45 men before and after two mRNA vaccine doses. None of the parameters measured, including volume, concentration and motility of sperm, showed a decrease. In fact, average total sperm count increased after vaccination, though the study authors say that could be because they asked the volunteers to adhere to a longer "abstinence time" before providing the second sample. As for which vaccine is the "best" for a teenager, all of the three vaccines authorized by the Food and Drug Administration are highly protective. They prevent hospitalization and death in the large majority of cases. They are not perfect — no vaccine is — but, as Anthony S. Fauci, the nation's top infectious-disease expert, told NBC's "Meet the Press" on July 4, about 99 percent of recent deaths have been among unvaccinated people. You may find that options are limited for teenagers, simply by which vaccines are available in your area. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the only coronavirus vaccine authorized by the FDA for children as young as 12. At least so far. A similar authorization is expected for Moderna's vaccine soon. Members of Rhode Island's vaccine advisory committee feel so confident in this, they recently pre-approved that vaccine. Once the FDA authorizes this vaccine, the state can swiftly begin administering Moderna shots to teens. | 
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