Pregnancy and COVID-19

Looking forward to starting a family, or having another child? The COVID-19 pandemic adds some concerns around getting pregnant, and keeping mom and baby safe. Some prospective parents may worry that vaccination to help protect against COVID-19 will affect their fertility, or the course of a pregnancy. There is no evidence that vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines - none of which contain live virus - cause fertility problems in females or males, notes the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and several professional medical associations.¹

In fact, the CDC recommends COVID-19 vaccination and boosters for people who are pregnant, breast-feeding, and those who may wish to become pregnant now or in the future.² And if you become pregnant after having your first dose of vaccine, the CDC also recommends getting your second shot for maximum protection.¹

COVID-19 vaccination does not affect fertility and is safe in pregnancy, according to several studies, including an analysis of vaccine safety monitoring data [v-safe safety monitoring system] from almost 5,000 women who had a positive pregnancy test after their first dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (i.e., Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna). Similarly, studies have not found an increased risk of miscarriage among people who received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine just before and during early pregnancy (before 20 weeks of pregnancy).²

Prospective moms may be aware that pregnancy-related changes in the immune system increase a person’s overall risk of having more severe illness from respiratory viruses. In most cases, women who catch COVID-19 during pregnancy will have mild-to-moderate symptoms or no symptoms at all. However, pregnancy is associated with higher risks of becoming severely ill from COVID- 19 and of having complications that could affect the pregnancy, compared to not being pregnant.² A recent Public Health Agency of Canada report indicates that pregnant women with COVID-19 were approximately 6 times more likely to be hospitalized than non-pregnant women with the infection (11% versus 1.7%). The risk of ICU admission was also higher in this group.³

COVID-19 vaccination can help protect you and your baby! It appears that a mother’s antibodies may be passed on to their baby through the placenta and also through breast-feeding. At 6 months of age, 57% of babies born to people who were vaccinated during pregnancyhad detectable antibodies against COVID-19, compared to just 8% of those born to unvaccinated mothers who had a COVID-19 infection during pregnancy.⁴

Two doses of an mRNA vaccine during pregnancy can help protect babies younger than 6 months old from hospitalization due to COVID-19, according to another small study showing 84% of babies hospitalized with COVID-19 were born to people who had not been vaccinated during pregnancy.⁵

And antibodies have also been found in the breastmilk of breastfeeding people who have had an mRNA COVID-19 vaccination, which could help protect their babies, although more study is needed.⁶

Keep your family safe - practice social distancing, keep wearing a mask in high-risk situations, and get vaccinated against COVID-19.

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This information should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your doctor. There may be variations in treatment that your physician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.