COVID-19 Vaccination in Pregnancy Not Tied to Adverse Birth Outcomes

FRIDAY, Sept. 2, 2022 (HealthDay News) — COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy is not associated with an increased risk for preterm birth, small for gestational age at birth, or stillbirth, according to a study published online Aug. 17 in The BMJ.

Deshayne B. Fell, Ph.D., from the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute in Ottawa, Canada, and colleagues conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study from May 1 to Dec. 31, 2021, involving all liveborn and stillborn infants from pregnancies conceived at least 42 weeks before the end of the study period and with gestational age ≥20 weeks or birth weight ≥500 g.

The researchers found that 50.6 percent of 85,162 births occurred in individuals who received one dose or more of a COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy (99.7 percent received an mRNA vaccine). There was no association observed between vaccination during pregnancy and any increased risk for overall preterm birth, spontaneous preterm birth, or very preterm birth. There was also no increase in the risk for small for gestational age at birth or stillbirth. The findings did not differ according to trimester of vaccination, mRNA vaccine product, or number of vaccine doses received during pregnancy.

“Our findings — along with extant evidence that vaccination during pregnancy is effective against COVID-19 for pregnant individuals and their newborns, and that COVID-19 during pregnancy is associated with increased risks of adverse maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes — can inform evidence based decision making about COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy,” the authors write.

One author disclosed financial ties to the medical information technology industry.

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