“Pregnant individuals are at increased risk of severe COVID-19 infection, including death,” reads a statement representing 23 public health, medical, and scientific groups. “Data from tens of thousands of reporting individuals have shown that the COVID-19 vaccine is both safe and effective when administered during pregnancy.”
Safety Data on the COVID-19 Vaccine and Pregnancy
Pregnant people were excluded from early clinical trials of the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson (J&J) vaccines now available in the U.S. But scientists have been tracking the health of people who received COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy, and mounting data show they are safe. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reviewed reports from the CDC’s V-safe smartphone-based surveillance system and Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Preliminary findings based on data from 35,691 pregnant people showed that individuals who received an mRNA vaccine such as Pfizer’s or Moderna’s in 2021 did not have higher rates of pregnancy and newborn health problems than those pregnant prior to the pandemic. Another recent study, published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, found no evidence of placental damage in women who received either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine 22 to 70 days (average 46 days) before pregnancy. Fewer studies so far have tracked pregnancy outcomes in people who have received the J&J vaccine, however, the CDC notes that similar vaccines using the same immune-system-stimulating virus have been shown to carry no additional risks for pregnant people or their babies. Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson are all in the initial stages of clinical safety trials in pregnant people, specifically. Those studies aim to add to growing research that the vaccine is safe for pregnant people and also help clarify whether it induces the same immune response that protects non-pregnant people, says Yvonne Maldonado, MD, professor of pediatrics and health research and policy at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Are Some Vaccines Better Than Others During Pregnancy?
It’s possible that some vaccines are more suitable for pregnant women than others. “There are various committees with a mix of expertise and experience in infectious disease in pregnancy, obstetrics, pediatrics, and ethics who are assessing the available evidence to guide these decisions for particular vaccine products,” says Carleigh Krubiner, PhD, one of the leaders of the Pregnancy Research Ethics for Vaccines, Epidemics, and New Technologies (PREVENT) project at Johns Hopkins University. Right now, both the CDC and ACOG support the use of the Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J vaccines, noting that current safety data shows the benefits of all three in pregnant people outweigh the risks. Both organizations do note that the J&J vaccine, while safe, does pose a rare risk of thrombocytopenia, a rare blood clotting disorder. Therefore, pregnant people may want to consider talking to their doctors about receiving the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines instead.
Reasons To Get the COVID-19 Vaccine in Pregnancy
“We have to think about the risks that coronavirus infection may pose to the mother and baby if they remain unprotected or if they are unable to access a highly effective vaccine,” says Carleigh Krubiner, PhD, one of the leaders of the Pregnancy Research Ethics for Vaccines, Epidemics, and New Technologies (PREVENT) project at Johns Hopkins University. Research shows that COVID-19 is dangerous for both mothers and babies. Pregnant people get sicker with COVID-19 than non-pregnant people, becoming more likely to be hospitalized or need a ventilator as a result of the illness. Those with symptomatic COVID-19 while expecting are also more likely than other pregnant people to have preeclampsia or eclampsia, require intensive care, or even die. Babies of people diagnosed with COVID-19 are at higher risk to be born prematurely, be delivered by cesarean section, and require a NICU stay of a week or longer. Meanwhile, all three COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S. have been shown to effectively combat COVID-19, including the predominating Delta variant. Even though breakthrough infections in vaccinated people can happen, they are less severe. Additionally, a pregnant person has more antibodies in their blood and breast milk after a vaccine than after a COVID-19 infection, leading researchers to speculate that those virus-fighting proteins will be passed to infants. This bolsters evidence that as the pandemic continues and more dangerous variants circulate, immunization is the best way to protect not just yourself, but your baby, too. The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit our coronavirus news page.
