Study: Anthrax vaccine may not hurt women's fertility

CHICAGO - The anthrax vaccine does not appear to harm women&#39;s fertility, according to a study of Army soldiers. <br> <br> The study involved Army women who were not believed to have been pregnant when they got their shots. It found that the vaccine appears to have no ill effects on pregnancy rates and birthrates. <br> <br> The study also suggested the vaccine does not increase the risk of birth defects when given to non-pregnant women. But those results were not conclusive because very few pregnancies occurred among the soldiers studied, the researchers said. <br> <br> The study by Drs. Andrew Wiesen and Christopher Littell of Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash., appears in Wednesday&#39;s Journal of the American Medical Association. <br> <br> The researchers said they studied the issue because questions about the effects on reproduction are the most common concern of callers to the Pentagon&#39;s anthrax information line. <br> <br> The findings follow reports earlier this year about preliminary Navy data suggesting a possible link between birth defects and the anthrax vaccine when given to women in early pregnancy. <br> <br> The link was mentioned in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention&#39;s vaccine consent form given to postal workers who might have been exposed to anthrax during last fall&#39;s anthrax-by-mail outbreak. The CDC form called the Navy data unconfirmed and said ``no one knows for sure whether this vaccine can cause fetal harm.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr., assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said serious questions have been raised about the accuracy of the Navy data. He called the new study ``reassuring to women in the services.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> As a precaution, women in the military are not given the anthrax vaccine if they are known to be pregnant. <br> <br> The Pentagon program to vaccinate nearly all members of the military began well before last year&#39;s anthrax scare and was prompted by concern about the potential for biological warfare. But the program was scaled back because of limited vaccine supplies. <br> <br> The department estimates that 70,000 military women ages 18 to 45 have been vaccinated. <br> <br> The vaccine is generally given in six doses over 18 months, followed by a yearly booster shot. <br> <br> The JAMA study involved women stationed in Georgia at Fort Stewart or Hunter Army Airfield in 1999 and 2000. Participants included 3,136 women who received at least one vaccine dose; most received three or four. They were compared with 962 women who were not vaccinated. <br> <br> A total of 513 pregnancies were reported, with 385 following at least one vaccine dose. There were 353 live births, occurring at comparable rates in both the vaccinated and unvaccinated women. Fifteen birth defects, including extra fingers and cleft palates, occurred, also at comparable rates. <br> <br> An Institute of Medicine report earlier this month said the vaccine is safe and has no more serious side effects than other vaccines given to adults.

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