What should I know about COVID-19 vaccines if I am pregnant?
Vaccination is probably the best way to prevent COVID-19 in pregnancy, when the risks of serious illness and death from viruses are higher than normal.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says that COVID-19 vaccinations should not be denied to pregnant women and that women should discuss individual risks and benefits with their healthcare professionals.
The US government’s emergency authorization for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines being launched for priority groups does not list pregnancy as a reason to suspend vaccines.
But the OB-GYN group says women should consult their doctors, since the COVID-19 vaccines have not yet been tested in pregnant women. The evidence on safety and effectiveness is reassuring in studies that inadvertently included some women who did not know they were pregnant when they signed up.
More answers are expected in the next polls, including a study by Pfizer and German partner BioNTech, scheduled to start earlier this year, which will include pregnant women.
Experts say there is no reason to think that the two authorized vaccines would harm fetuses. They may even protect them from the development of COVID-19, although this has not yet been proven, said Dr. Denise Jamieson, chair of gynecology and obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine.
This thinking comes in part from experience with vaccines for influenza and pertussis, which are approved for use in pregnancy and protect newborns and their mothers from developing these diseases.
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