What pregnant women should know about the safety of vaccines

Only about one out three pregnant women are vaccinated for COVID-19, but studies and medical experts say the facts are clear: vaccines are safe and essential for expectant mothers and their babies.

Here’s why:

QDo vaccines increase risk of miscarriage or birth defects?

ANo. A large CDC study of 2,456 pregnant women who received an mRNA vaccine found that vaccination is not associated with an increased risk of spontaneous abortion, the New England Journal of Medicine reported this month. Last June, a CDC analysis of spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, preterm birth and birth defects did not find any safety concerns for pregnant people who were vaccinated or for their offspring.

QDo vaccines cause menstrual cycle problems?

ANo. The CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System has recorded only a small number of minor and transient menstrual-related adverse events among the more than 72 million women who have been vaccinated, according to this month’s journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

“There’s no scientific evidence that it’s cause and effect,” said Gibbs.

QADo vaccines cause infertility?

No. Reports on social media blamed the similarity of proteins used in vaccines and egg implantation but that’s erroneous; the two proteins share a sequence of only four amino acids. Another inaccurate theory, citing a rat study, alleged that the mRNA from the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines accumulates in the ovaries. This has since been disproven.

QAre vaccine side effects, such as fever, dangerous to the newborn?

ANo. A large prospective study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that vaccination reactions after the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines consisted only of mild fever, similar among individuals who were pregnant, lactating, or planning pregnancy compared with nonpregnant individuals.

“That does not represent a risk to the pregnancy,” said Gibbs.

QWhich vaccine is better for pregnant women?

AWhile the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have a slight edge over the Johnson & Johnson vaccines, they’re all safe and effective. “Get whatever you can, whenever you can,” said Gibbs.

QAre newborns protected by their mother’s

vaccine?

AYes. An August study in the journal Obstetrics Gynecology found antibodies in the fetus after a mother’s vaccination as soon as five days after the first vaccination dose.

“This represents the only effective strategy that we have to immunize the newborn,” said Gibbs.

QAWhich trimester is best for vaccination?

“It doesn’t matter,” said Gaw, although vaccination during the second and third trimester is most likely to transmit antibodies to the baby. “Get it as soon as possible.”

QIs it safe to breastfeed after vaccination?

AYes. A JAMA study, confirmed by a second study in this month’s issue of the journal Pediatrics, reported that antibodies were detected in the breast milk of vaccinated mothers, suggesting an additional protective effect for the infant. Another study found no serious side effects in 180 breastfeeding mothers or babies receiving either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

“Immunity from breastfeeding and its possible impact on infant protection from (COVID-19) infection is a hope for breastfeeding girls and boys,” the Pediatrics researchers said, “for whom the prospect of vaccination in this pandemic is still a long way off.”