I’m pregnant, I’m trying to get pregnant or I’m breastfeeding. Should I get the COVID vaccine?
Clinical leaders at University Hospitals believe that these vaccines, which were thoroughly vetted by the FDA, are recommended for the protection of each individual and the community against COVID-19. Pregnant individuals are at increased risk of severe COVID-19 infection, including death. With cases rising as a result of the Delta variant, the best way for pregnant individuals to protect themselves and their baby against the potential harm from COVID-19 infection is to be vaccinated.
University Hospitals is committed to providing vaccinations to those who are pregnant, trying to get pregnant or breastfeeding in accordance with guidance from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The CDC recommends all women who are pregnant or considering pregnancy get vaccinated for COVID-19.
Maternal care experts want the best outcomes for their patients, and that means both a healthy parent and a healthy baby. Data from tens of thousands of reporting individuals have shown that the COVID-19 vaccine is both safe and effective when administered during pregnancy. The same data have been equally reassuring when it comes to infants born to vaccinated individuals. Moreover, COVID-19 vaccines have no impact on fertility.
Pregnant individuals and those planning to become pregnant should feel confident in choosing vaccination to protect themselves, their infants, their families, and their communities.
- What are the benefits of getting the COVID Vaccine?
-
- COVID-19 is dangerous. It is more dangerous for pregnant women.
- Pregnant and recently pregnant people are more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19 compared to non-pregnant people. Pregnancy causes changes in the body that could make it easier to get very sick from respiratory viruses like the one that causes COVID-19. These changes in the body can continue after pregnancy.
- Severe illness means that a person with COVID-19 may need:
- Hospitalization
- Intensive care
- A ventilator or special equipment to help them breathe
- Pregnant people with COVID-19 are more likely to experience preterm birth (delivering the baby earlier than 37 weeks) and might be more likely to have other poor outcomes related to pregnancy compared to pregnant people without COVID-19.
- Getting vaccinated prevents severe illness, hospitalizations, and death.
- 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.
- The COVID vaccine cannot give you COVID.
- The COVID vaccine has no live virus.
- The COVID vaccine does NOT contain ingredients that are known to be harmful to pregnant women or to the unborn baby.
- Many vaccines are routinely given in pregnancy and are safe (for example: tetanus, diphtheria, and flu).
- COVID-19 is dangerous. It is more dangerous for pregnant women.
- What do the experts recommend?
-
The CDC now recommends all women who are pregnant or considering pregnancy get vaccinated for COVID-19. CDC recommendations align with those from professional medical organizations serving people who are pregnant, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).
- What about breastfeeding?
-
COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for all people 12 years and older, including people who are breastfeeding.
COVID-19 vaccines cannot cause infection in anyone, including the mother or the baby, and the vaccines are effective at preventing COVID-19 in people who are breastfeeding.) Recent reports have shown that breastfeeding people who have received mRNA COVID-19 vaccines have antibodies in their breastmilk, which could help protect their babies.
- What if I am planning to become pregnant or am undergoing fertility treatment?
-
- COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for women who are contemplating pregnancy or who are pregnant in order to minimize risks to themselves and their pregnancy.
- Available data indicate that COVID-19 vaccines do not cause infertility in women or men.
- In the randomized blinded Pfizer-BioNTech trial, a similar number of women conceived after receiving the vaccine as those who received the placebo.
- mRNA vaccines are taken up rapidly by muscle cells at the injection site and the mRNA is degraded in the cell once the protein is made so it does not cross the placenta.
- Existing data suggest COVID19 vaccination during pregnancy does not increase risk of miscarriage.