12/16/2020
We understand that there are many questions regarding COVID-19 in pregnant patients, as well as the safety of the new vaccines. Below is the latest information from the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine. We encourage you to review it, and discuss the risks and benefits of the vaccine with your physician. As Board Certified Maternal Fetal Medicine specialists, our doctors are monitoring all of the latest information as it becomes available.
COVID Vaccine Advice if You Are Pregnant or Breastfeeding
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued emergency use authorization for a vaccine to prevent COVID-19 for people age 16 years and older. Persons who are pregnant and breastfeeding may also choose to be vaccinated. This first vaccine, made by the drug company Pfizer, is given intramuscularly, in 2 doses at least 21 days apart.
1. It will be given first to healthcare workers and people living in long-term care facilities.
2. It is likely the next group to receive a vaccine will be people with preexisting high-risk health conditions, teachers and other
frontline workers, and people older than 65 years will get the vaccine. Everyone else will get the vaccine after these groups are vaccinated. At least one more vaccine will likely be approved in
the coming weeks and months.
Information for Pregnant Individuals
If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant and are thinking about getting the vaccine, talk with your health care professional about the vaccine’s risks and benefits. During this
conversation, you can decide what is best for you based on your risk of getting COVID-19, your risk of getting severe disease if you become infected with COVID-19, and the risks and benefits of getting the vaccine.
To help with your decision, you and your healthcare professional should answer the following key questions:
• What are the known risks of getting the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy?
• The vaccine has not yet been tested in pregnant women. Pregnant women were not allowed to take part in the clinical trials of the vaccine. A few people who received the vaccine in the clinical trials did get pregnant. There have been no reports of any problems with these pregnancies, and they are continuing to be monitored.
• Going forward, as pregnant individuals get the vaccine, the FDA will gather detailed information about its safety and effectiveness during pregnancy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with other federal partners, will monitor new vaccines for serious side effects using existing vaccine safety monitoring systems. You can participate in this effort by enrolling in V-Safe After Vaccination Health Checker (more information on this program is given below).
• A safe vaccine is one in which the benefits of getting it outweigh the risks. The Pfizer vaccine is not a live vaccine. There is only a very small chance that the vaccine crosses the placenta, so it’s unlikely that it even reaches the fetus, although we don’t know this for sure. The only people older than age 16 who should NOT get the vaccine are those who have had a severe allergic reaction to vaccines in the past.
• Side effects may occur in the first 3 days after getting the COVID-19 vaccine. These include mild to moderate fever, headache, and muscle aches. In the COVID-19 trials, less than 4% of people developed a fever after the first dose, and about 16% developed a fever after the second dose. Experts recommend that pregnant people receiving the COVID-19 vaccine who develop fever take acetaminophen (Tylenol). This medication is safe to use during
pregnancy and does not affect how the vaccine works.
What are the benefits of getting the COVID-19 vaccine?
The vaccine can help protect you from getting COVID-19. You must get both doses of the vaccine for it to be fully effective. It’s not yet known whether it prevents passing the virus to others if you do get COVID-19 or how long protection lasts. At this time, vaccinated people still need to wear masks and practice social distancing.
What are the known risks of getting COVID-19 during pregnancy?
About 1 to 3 per 1,000 pregnant women with COVID-19 will develop severe disease. Compared with those who aren’t pregnant, COVID-19-infected pregnant people:
• Are 3 times more likely to need ICU care
• Are 2 to 3 times more likely need advanced life support and a breathing tube
• Have a small increased risk of dying due to COVID-19
They may also be at increased risk of stillbirth and preterm birth.
What is my risk of getting COVID-19?
Your risk of getting COVID-19 depends on the chance that you will come into contact with another infected person. This may be higher if you live in a community where there is a lot of COVID-19 infection or work in healthcare or another high-contact setting. The vaccine is being given first to healthcare workers, many of whom are considering pregnancy, pregnant, or lactating.
What is my risk for severe complications if I get COVID-19?
Older pregnant women; those with have preexisting health conditions, such as a body mass index higher than 35 kg/m2, diabetes, and heart disorders; and Black or Latinx women have an especially increased risk of severe disease and death from COVID-19.
After you and your healthcare provider answer the above questions, you can make an informed decision about whether to get the COVID-19 vaccine. If you still have questions about the vaccine or need more information, ask your health care provider or go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 vaccine webpage.
Information for Breastfeeding/Lactating Individuals
The COVID-19 vaccine should be offered to people who are breastfeeding/lactating. Although lactating individuals were not allowed in the clinical trials, based on experience with other
vaccines, the benefits of vaccination outweigh the very small safety concerns. You don’t have to delay or stop breastfeeding just because you get the vaccine.
Choosing the Vaccine…Or Not
If you choose to get the vaccine, the CDC is committed to making sure that it is safe for all individuals. Your health professional will give you information about enrolling in the V-Safe After Vaccination Health Checker. This program lets your healthcare professional check in daily for 1 week following your vaccination. You can also report any side effects or concerns you might have – all through your smartphone! You’ll receive information about how to sign up when you get your vaccine. If you choose not to get the vaccine while pregnant, you can get it after you have your baby.
Talk to your health care provider about a plan to get the vaccine after pregnancy. No matter what you decide, it is important that you continue to follow COVID-19 infection prevention steps such as wearing a mask, washing your hands frequently, and maintaining
physical distancing of at least 6 feet.
