I’m pregnant, I’m trying to get pregnant or I’m breastfeeding. Should I get the COVID vaccine?

1. COVID is dangerous. It is more dangerous for pregnant women.
   • COVID patients who are pregnant are five times more likely to end up in the intensive care unit (ICU) or on a ventilator than COVID patients who are not pregnant.¹
   • Preterm birth may be more common for pregnant women with severe COVID, but other obstetric complications such as stillbirth do not appear to be increased.²
   • Pregnant women are more likely to die of COVID than non-pregnant women with COVID who are the same age.^3,4
2. The COVID vaccine may prevent up to 95 percent of COVID infections.
   • As COVID infections go up in our communities, your risk of getting COVID goes up too.
   • Getting the vaccine will prevent you from getting COVID and will help keep you from giving COVID to people around you.
3. The COVID vaccine cannot give you COVID.
   • The COVID vaccine has no live virus.⁵
   • The COVID vaccine does NOT contain ingredients that are known to be harmful to pregnant women or to the fetus.
   • Many vaccines are routinely given in pregnancy and are safe (for example: tetanus, diphtheria, and flu).

1. The COVID vaccine has not yet been tested in pregnant women.
   • The vaccine was tested in over 20,000 people. It was not tested in pregnant women.
   • We do not have data on whether the vaccine works as well in pregnancy as it did in the study of non-pregnant individuals.
   • We do not have data on whether or not there are unique downsides in pregnancy or different side effects.
2. People getting the vaccine will probably have some side effects.
   • The more common side effects were:
     • injection site reactions like sore arm (84%)
     • fatigue (62%)
     • headache (55%)
     • muscle pain (38%)
     • chills (32%)
     • joint pain (24%)
     • fever (14%)
   • The CDC recommends using Tylenol (acetaminophen) during pregnancy if you have a high fever.

The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine strongly recommends that pregnant individuals have access to COVID vaccines. They recommend that each person have a discussion with their healthcare professional about their own personal choice.⁷

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that the COVID vaccine should not be withheld from pregnant individuals who meet criteria for vaccination.⁸

The American Society of Reproductive Medicine does not recommend withholding the vaccine from patients who are planning to conceive, who are currently pregnant, or who are lactating.¹⁰

The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine reports there is no reason to believe the vaccine affects the safety of breastmilk.⁷

When we have an infection or get a vaccine, our bodies make antibodies to fight the infection. Antibodies formed from vaccines given during pregnancy pass into the breastmilk and then to the baby to help prevent infections.

The American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) COVID-19 Task Force regarding the COVID-19 vaccine is recommending the following:

1. The ASRM Task Force does not recommend withholding the vaccine from patients who are planning to conceive, who are currently pregnant or who are lactating.
2. Patients undergoing fertility treatment and pregnant patients should be encouraged to receive vaccination based on eligibility criteria.
3. Because COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are not composed of live virus, they are not thought to cause an increased risk of infertility, first or second trimester loss, stillbirth, or congenital anomalies.
4. Patients who conceive in the window between the first and second dose of the vaccine should be offered the second dose of the vaccine at the appropriate interval.
5. We do not recommend delaying fertility treatments while undergoing vaccination or waiting any particular duration of time after the vaccine prior to attempting conception.