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- Pregnant women will need to decide whether to get vaccinated and protected against a life-threatening disease, or wait until more data is available.
- Pregnant people who contract the coronavirus are more likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), receive mechanical ventilation or die.
- Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines are believed to be safe for pregnant women.
As the COVID-19 vaccine continues to roll out, pregnant people should review their own medical history and risk factors to determine if they feel ready to receive the injection.
The vaccines were not studied in people who were pregnant during clinical trials, leaving little safety data to work with.
If you are pregnant, you will need to decide whether getting the vaccine is the right decision for you.
Although the overall risk of severe COVID-19 is low, pregnant people who contract the coronavirus face a greater chance of being admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), receiving mechanical ventilation or dying.
Of the 4.2 million Americans who have already received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, there have been many pregnant healthcare workers who felt that their personal risks of contracting COVID-19 outweighed any potential risks from the vaccine, which is believed to be it is safe. in pregnant people.
“Between the two options of getting vaccinated or receiving COVID, women must make a decision that is in line with their own values and the environment in which they work and live,” said Dr. Lauren Demosthenes, OB-GYN and Babyscripts Senior Medical Director. .
Pregnant people have
Pregnant people were not included in the vaccine trials, so there is limited data on how pregnant people respond to COVID-19 vaccines.
That said, messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines are believed to be safe for pregnant women.
According to Dr. Henry Bernstein, a pediatrician at Northwell Health’s Cohen Children’s Medical Center and a member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mRNA vaccines break down rapidly and degrade. in the body.
They are not live vaccines, they do not enter the nucleus of our cells and they do not alter our DNA.
The vaccine is also unlikely to reach and cross the placenta, according to Dr. Christian Pettker, a high-risk pregnancy specialist at Yale Medicine and a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at Yale Medicine.
“Based on current knowledge, experts believe that mRNA vaccines do not pose a risk to pregnant people,” Pettker said.
Some people report mild side effects after receiving the vaccine, such as fatigue and a mild fever.
These side effects simply indicate that the immune system is working and are not a sign of something more serious.
Pregnant people who experience a mild fever after the injection may consider taking acetaminophen.
“Your arm may hurt or feel a little ‘like the flu,’ or even have a fever. This is totally fine and you can take acetaminophen and rest until these side effects go away in a couple of days, ”said Demosthenes.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) says the vaccine should not be denied to people who are breastfeeding or pregnant.
ACOG also states that the vaccine is not believed to cause infertility, miscarriage, harm to the newborn or harm to pregnant people, Demosthenes added.
“Women trying to conceive should feel comfortable with their decision to get the vaccine and, if they are to conceive, they should receive their second dose at 3 weeks,” Demosthenes said.
Ultimately, the choice of vaccination or not will be a personal decision of each pregnant woman.
“Women are going to have to think about what is the level of community transmission where they live, what is their personal risk of exposure when contracting the disease,” Bernstein said.
It’s also crucial to consider other underlying health conditions, such as obesity, diabetes or lung disease, that can increase the risk of severe COVID-19, Pettker noted.
“This is not a simple discussion or recommendation. It should be a personal discussion involving a shared decision-making approach, ”Pettker said.
Bernstein says the best thing to do is talk to your obstetrician if you are considering getting vaccinated.
“They should write down any questions or concerns they have so that hopefully they can be addressed during the conversation with their obstetrician,” Bernstein said.
With limited safety data available on how pregnant people react to the COVID-19 vaccine, anyone who is pregnant will need to weigh the risks and benefits and decide if they are comfortable receiving the vaccine.
COVID-19 vaccines, which use a technology called messenger RNA (mRNA), are believed to be safe for pregnant and nursing people.
Those who are pregnant and considering getting vaccinated should talk with their doctor about what is best for them.
