Mumps, mmr and infertility?

As a child I had the mmr vaccine. When i was about 8, I had mumps.
Is the mmr vaccine supposed to stop you getting mumps completely or can you still get them but they are less severe?
I also read that childhood mumps can lead to infertility in men. Is this true and is it just men or women too?

Just for the record, despite my name, i am not a man!!

Hi Desmond.

I am also a female that had the vaccine as a child and I got the mumps at age 23. Supposedly what I was told is that there was a strain of the vaccine that they found to be less effective. I am 34 so if you are anywhere around my age you may have gotten the same strain. Also I know now children are vaccinated twice with the mmr vaccine. Despite taking all efforts possible, some people will still get it anyway.

I have heard it can cause infertility in men in extreme cases, but I have never heard that about women.

Oh and Mr SmarT, there is no cure for the mumps, it is a virus. Not much you can do for it other than eat bland food and take some Advil or whatever for the pain.

You're welcome! Report It

it's true, if your not correctly and quickly cured from mumps you get sterile

The MMR vaccine is SUPPOSED to protect against measles, mumps & rubella but in reality, there are no guarantees. Mumps can lead to infertility in men but it's more of a problem if you succumb to the illness as an adult rather than as a child - so you should be OK.

Mumps vaccine like most other vaccines gives about 80% protection, so there is still about 20% chance of getting the disease. If mumps causes orchitis (inflammation of the testes) in men, especially at the age of puberty, it can cause infertility. Rarely, it can cause inflammation of the ovaries in females, but sterility is less likely. Anyhow, if you only had inflammation of the salivary glands and no complication, there is no need to worry.