What Should I Know About COVID-19 Vaccines While Pregnant?
Vaccination is probably the best way to prevent COVID-19 in pregnancy, when the risks of serious illness and death from the virus are higher than normal.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says that COVID-19 vaccinations should not be withheld from pregnant women, and that women should discuss individual risks and benefits with their healthcare providers.
The U.S. government’s emergency clearance for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines being rolled out for priority groups does not cite pregnancy as a reason to withhold shots.
But the OB-GYN group says women should see their doctors, as COVID-19 vaccines have not yet been tested in pregnant women. Evidence about safety and effectiveness is reassuring from studies that inadvertently included some women who were unaware they were pregnant when they enrolled.
More responses are expected from upcoming research, including a study by Pfizer and German partner BioNTech expected to start early this year that will also involve pregnant women.
Experts say there is no reason to believe the two approved vaccines would harm the fetuses. They may even protect them from the development of COVID-19, although it has not yet been proven, said Dr. Denise Jamieson, chair of gynecology and obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine.
That thought stems in part from experience with influenza and whooping cough vaccines, which are approved for use during pregnancy and which protect newborns and their mothers from developing those diseases.
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