Oral contraceptive usage among healthcare workers and its impact on COVID-19 booster vaccination immunogenicity.

Authors

Isabell Wagenhäuser, Julia Reusch, Juliane Mees, Lukas B Krone, Isabella Eiter, Thiên-Trí Lâm, Alexandra Schubert-Unkmeir, Carolin Curtaz, Anna Frey, Oliver Kurzai, Stefan Frantz, Sabine Wicker, Achim Wöckel, Nils Petri, Alexander Gabel, Manuel Krone

Published in

NPJ vaccines. Volume 11. Issue 1. Jul 02, 2026. Epub Jul 02, 2026.

Abstract

Oral contraceptives (OCs) can substantially modulate immune responses; however, their impact on vaccine immunogenicity remains poorly understood. This study investigated OC use patterns and their determinants among healthcare workers (HCWs), and the effects of OCs on humoral and T-cell-mediated immune responses following COVID-19 booster vaccination. From 29 September 2021 to 31 December 2023, 1061 female HCWs aged 18-50 years were enrolled in the CoVacSer study. OC users were compared to non-users. Blood samples combined with a questionnaire were collected before and after third and fourth COVID-19 vaccination including follow-ups. Anti-SARS-CoV-2-Spike IgG levels were measured using SERION ELISA agile SARS-CoV-2 IgG, T-cellular immune response using Oxford Immunotec T-SPOT®.COVID. A linear mixed and a generalised linear model were used to assess the influence of OC on post-vaccination immune response. At study inclusion, 21.7% (230/1061) reported OC use. Younger age, being a physician, and higher BMI were significantly associated with OC. Linear mixed and generalised linear regression models revealed no significant association between reported OC use and humoral and T-cellular immune response before and after COVID-19 vaccination. Although OC are known to modulate immune responses, this study found no statistically significant association between self-reported OC use and humoral or cellular immunogenicity following COVID-19 vaccination. This is among the first studies to address this in the context of COVID-19 booster vaccination. Our findings suggest that in women using OC no specific adjustments to COVID-19 vaccination strategies are required considering OC use. Continued investigation of potential interactions between OC and vaccine- or infection-induced immunity remain warranted.

PMID:
42393078
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 03 Jul 2026.

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