Are COVID-19 vaccines safe in pregnancy?

Abstract

As the COVID-19 vaccination programme starts to be rolled out, many young women are hesitant to accept the vaccine, citing concerns about fertility. Meanwhile, those offered the vaccine during pregnancy must decide whether they will accept, even though pregnant people were excluded from the clinical trials. Data on accidental pregnancies that occurred during the trials and, increasingly, outcomes in pregnant people who receive the vaccine can help these groups to make informed decisions.

Benefits and potential harms of COVID‐19 vaccination during pregnancy: evidence summary for patient counseling

“…The trials of both mRNA vaccines excluded pregnant women. Yet, initial reports from regulatory bodies, such as the EMA, show that a small number of women in these trials were pregnant at the time of vaccination; safety data from these pregnancies are still pending but, as yet, no significant adverse effects have been observed 27,28 . More recently, Dr Anthony Fauci, Chief Medical Advisor to the USA President, stated that more than 20 000 pregnant women have received the mRNA vaccine in the USA and to date there have been no concerning 'red flags' 29,30 .…”

COVID‐19 vaccines: what do we know so far?

“…Our goal is to find ways to improve outcomes of pregnancy for mothers and babies, for example by finding new ways we can prevent preterm birth. My interest in preventing preterm birth led me to looking at COVID‐19 vaccination in pregnancy, since we know that catching COVID‐19 late in pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth, and vaccination is one way we can reduce this risk [13,14].…”

“…Participants in the clinical trials were asked not to become pregnant, but nonetheless, across the Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca [reviewed in Ref. 14] and Janssen trials [52], 65 people became pregnant unintentionally. The pregnancies occurred equally across the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups, showing that vaccination does not reduce the chance of becoming pregnant.…”

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 vaccines: The good, the bad, and the ugly

“…None of the vaccines listed in this review contain a virus that replicates; thus, they do not cause disease, but non-specific side effects from immune response activation may occur. Based on how mRNA and viral vector vaccines work, experts believe they are unlikely to pose a risk for pregnant persons, the fetus, or breastfeeding newborns 14 . It is advised for pregnant individuals to undergo COVID-19 vaccination as soon as it is available in their countries and avoid deferring until the end of pregnancy.…”