Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are effective for pregnant and lactating women, according to a new study published in American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
In the study, the researchers analyzed 131 women of reproductive age (84 pregnant, 31 lactating and 16 non-pregnant), who received the Pfizer / BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, and found that pregnant and breastfeeding women had a “robust” response immunological to vaccines. According to the study, immunological responses from vaccines were “significantly higher” than responses to natural infections by COVID-19. In addition, any side effects after vaccination were “rare and comparable among study participants”, according to EurekaAlert.
“These vaccines seem to work incredibly effectively on these women,” one of the study’s authors, Galit Alter, Ph.D., professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and group leader at the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT and Harvard, told CNN. (Yahoo Life contacted the study authors, but did not receive a timely response.)
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Vaccinated pregnant women and nursing mothers can also help protect their babies. The antibodies generated by the vaccine were found in all samples of umbilical cord blood and breast milk. “The recent study released by Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology have shown that when a pregnant or breastfeeding person is vaccinated, the immune response that they produce and the antibodies that are developed are transferred to their newborn and thus the newborn’s immune protection is likely to be supported, ”Dr. Iahn Gonsenhauser, head of quality and patient safety officer at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center (who was not involved in the study), told Yahoo Life.
Given that “there is no approved vaccine for newborns and young children and the fact that the vaccine is still less than necessary to meet current demands, this study offers an opportunity to inoculate newborns without further depleting the stock vaccine, ”says Gonsenhauser.
Pregnant women are at a higher risk of serious illnesses with COVID-19 compared to those who are not pregnant. They also have an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as premature birth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “The impact of COVID19 cannot be underestimated,” says Gonsenhauser. “Due to the loss of life, disruption of the economy and dangerously strained health capacity, the impact has been impressive. Although adults have been primarily affected by COVID-19, we know that individuals of all ages are at risk. Although we have seen young children affected, we still do not fully understand the potential impact on newborns. Given the increasingly clear safety profile of the vaccines available, the benefit of the protection provided by the vaccine far outweighs the risk of complications or side effects of vaccination. “
For people who are pregnant or breastfeeding and may hesitate to get the vaccine, the CDC notes that both Moderna and Pfizer are mRNA vaccines that “do not contain the live virus that causes COVID-19 and therefore cannot give COVID-19 to somebody . In addition, mRNA vaccines do not interact with a person’s DNA or cause genetic changes because mRNA does not enter the cell’s nucleus, which is where our DNA is kept ”. (You can learn more about how COVID-19 mRNA vaccines work here).
When it comes to COVID-19 vaccines, Gonsenhauser suggests considering “where your information comes from and make sure it is from a reliable and properly competent source”. He adds: “There is a lot of misinformation out there, but at this point there is overwhelming evidence that supports the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine for pregnant and lactating women. If you are still hesitant, talk to a health care professional you trust. The science and data are clear. “
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