COVID-19 Vaccine Information and Infertility Posts on X: Insights on a Misinformation Pandemic

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate misinformation surrounding infertility and the COVID-19 vaccine on X (formerly known as Twitter) by analyzing the prevalence and content of this misinformation across a sample of posts on X.

Methods: This study is a retrospective review of posts on X (formerly known as tweets) from the COVID-19-TweetIDs dataset from July 2021 and November 2021. Included posts were from crucial time points in the COVID-19 vaccine discourse and contained at least one word related to COVID-19 vaccination and fertility. Posts were analyzed and categorized based on factuality, common words, and hashtags. Descriptive statistics on total followers, account verification status, and engagement were obtained. Differences between posts on X classified as factual and misinformation were examined using analysis of variance or χ² tests. Sentiment analysis determined if post content was generally positive, neutral, or negative.

Results: A total of 17,418 relevant posts on X were reviewed: 11,436 from timeframe 1 (July 2021) and 5982 from timeframe 2 (December 2021). Misinformation posts rose from 29.9% in July 2021 to 45.1% in November 2021. In both timeframes, accounts sharing factual information had more followers (p < 0.001), and verified users were more likely to share accurate posts (p ≤ 0.001). Factual and misinformation posts had similar engagement. Sentiment analysis identified that real posts were more positive and misinformation posts were more negative (p < 0.001).

Conclusions and relevance: Misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine and fertility is highly prevalent on X and threatens vaccine uptake in patients desiring future fertility. Accounts sharing factual information were likely to have more followers and be verified; therefore, verifying more physicians sharing accurate information is critical.

Keywords: COVID-19; Fertility; Misinformation; Pregnancy; Twitter; Vaccine Hesitancy.

Figure 1:

Study flow.

Figure 2:

The solid line indicates the daily average US COVID-19 cases; figure labels indicate the percent of total posts classified as factual or misinformation for that day. (a) contains posts from July 16, 2021, through August 13, 2021. The first dotted vertical line indicates the date of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine recommendation for the vaccine in pregnant individuals, and the second dotted vertical line indicates the date that the CDC recommended that individuals get the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy. (b) has posts from November 5, 2021, through December 3, 2021.; The dotted vertical line indicates the date of the CDC recommendation for a booster shot.