- You can review their recommendations here:
- ACOG: Vaccinating Pregnant and Lactating Patients Against COVID-19
- SMFM: Experts in High-Risk Pregnancy Respond to the FDA’s Decision to Offer the Newly Approved COVID-19 Vaccine to Pregnant and Lactating People
- SMFM Statement: SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination in Pregnancy
- WHO: The Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine: What You Need to Know
- ACOG and SMFM Joint Statement on WHO Recommendations Regarding COVID-19 Vaccines and Pregnant Individuals
People who are pregnant and part of a group recommended to receive COVID-19 vaccine, such as healthcare personnel, may choose to be vaccinated. Pregnant patients and their clinicians should discuss and decide whether to get vaccinated with a vaccine that has been authorized for use under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). While a discossion with a healthcare provider may be helpful, it is not a requirement to receive a vaccination.
Key considerations pregnant patients can discuss with their healthcare provider include:
- The likelihood of exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19
- Risks of COVID-19 to them and potential risks to their fetuses
- What is known about the vaccine: how well it works to develop protection in the body, known side effects of the vaccine, and lack of data during pregnancy
Pregnant patients who decide to get vaccinated should continue to follow the current guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19 after they are vaccinated. This includes:
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- Wearing a mask
- Staying at least six feet away from others
- Avoiding crowds
- Washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or using hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol
- Following CDC travel guidance
- Following quarantine guidance after exposure to COVID-19
- Following any applicable workplace guidance
CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have safety monitoring systems in place to capture information about vaccination during pregnancy and will closely monitor reports.
If I am breastfeeding can I get the COVID-19 vaccine?
There is no data on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in lactating women nor on the effects of mRNA vaccines on the breastfed infant or on milk production/excretion. mRNA vaccines are not thought to be a risk to the breastfeeding infant. Women who are breastfeeding and are part of a group recommended to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, such as healthcare personnel, may choose to be vaccinated. Despite having no data, it appears safe to get the COVID-19 vaccine if you are nursing a baby, based upon available data. Although the vaccines have not been studied in nursing mothers, lactating women should be offered the COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccines do not contain live virus, so being vaccinated does not pose a risk to the baby. If you are vaccinated for the coronavirus, there is no need to delay or discontinue breastfeeding.
Is Fertility affected by the COVID-19 vaccine?
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No, getting the COVID-19 vaccine will not affect your fertility. Women actively trying to conceive may be vaccinated with the current COVID-19 vaccines and there are no indications for delaying pregnancy after completing the vaccine series.
Confusion around this issue arose when a false report surfaced on social media, saying that the spike protein on this coronavirus was the same as another spike protein called syncitin-1 that is involved in the growth and attachment of the placenta during pregnancy. The false report said that getting the COVID-19 vaccine would cause a woman’s body to fight this different spike protein and affect her fertility. The two spike proteins are completely different, and getting the COVID-19 vaccine will not affect the fertility of women who are trying to become pregnant. This includes in vitro fertilization methods. During the Pfizer vaccine tests, 23 women volunteers involved in the study became pregnant, and the only one in the trial who suffered a pregnancy loss had not received the actual vaccine, but a placebo.
