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Covid vaccination is the best recommended protection for you and your babies against Covid 19. But the decision to have the vaccine is entirely up to you, so please discuss the benefits and risks with your midwife or OB Gyne. In order to help you make an informed decision, here are the latest facts about the Covid vaccine and what effects it may have when you’re pregnant.
In the early stage of vaccination programs across the world, pregnant women are not advised to have the vaccine, because there is no available data that ensures the safety of the vaccine. Obviously, because no pregnant woman will volunteer herself as a test subject for the study. However, some pregnant women had to have the vaccination, due to them being at extra high risk of death if they contracted Covid. At present, there are over 130,000 pregnant women who have been vaccinated and there were no safety issues noted - so, the WHO, UK and US health authorities recommend that the vaccination should be offered to all pregnant women 18 years and above.
How safe and effective is the vaccine?
There are no ingredients that are known to be harmful to pregnancy in Covid 19 vaccines. Studies done in pregnant animals showed no evidence that the vaccine causes harm to both the mother and the developing baby.
The preferred Covid vaccine for pregnant women are non “live” vaccines, so it cannot cause infection to mother and baby. In the UK, Pfizer and Moderna are the vaccines of choice because it uses only a part instead of the whole virus. However, other non “live” (inactivated) vaccines have been given to pregnant women (example: Tetanus, Hepatitis B) and have been proven to be safe. So, there is no reason to think that Covid vaccines with other non “live” (inactivated) virus(es) will cause worse side-effects in pregnant women.
The vaccine should have the same affectivity with pregnant women as with non-pregnant women with the same health status. Therefore, it is expected that they will experience the same side effects as the non-pregnant population when vaccinated. The side effects are usually mild and last for 2-3 days;
-Pain, tenderness or heaviness in the injected arm
-Feeling tired
-Headache, muscle and joint ache
-Fever, chills
If you do develop any side effects after vaccination, take paracetamol as it is safe for pregnant women; make sure you are adequately hydrated and rested.
Which vaccine can I get?
As mentioned above, different countries have specific recommendations; the UK prefers Pfizer-Biotech or Moderna vaccines because it is using only the protein mRNA of the virus, and most of the pregnant women to date who have been given this vaccine did not experience any detrimental effects.
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However, if you already had your first dose of Astra- Zeneca and you become pregnant before your second dose, it is recommended to continue with Astra- Zeneca - the study on vaccine mixing shows that it gives an increased severity of short-term common side effects, such as headache, fever, muscle/joint ache and chills.
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The WHO recommends the use of Sinovac- CoronaVac in pregnant women, only when the benefit of vaccination is greater than the risk of being ill from the virus. So, pregnant women with pre-existing illness like diabetes, heart disease or any respiratory diseases should be assessed and be given advice by their doctor before making the decision. They need to make sure that the mother understands the information and that they are supported in making the decision.
Risks:
-Twice the possibility of pre mature birth
-More likely to develop pre–eclampsia
-More likely to have emergency caesarean and twice as high risk of still birth
-When in the last trimester- twice as likely to be admitted to Intensive care
Benefits of vaccination:
-Reduction in severe diseases for the pregnant woman
-Reduction in the risk of stillbirth and prematurity for the baby
-Potentially reducing transmission to vulnerable household members
When during my pregnancy can I get the vaccine?
The vaccine is considered safe to get anytime during your pregnancy. But some women may choose to have it after the first 12 weeks (during the baby’s critical development period) but there is no evidence that this is necessary.
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One dose of the vaccine gives good protection against the virus; however, the most recent (Delta) variant of the virus required two doses to achieve a good level of immunity. The second dose should be given within 8 to 12 weeks after the first dose, and it is recommended that pregnant women receive a full dose before entering the third trimester or before giving birth. It is at this time when risk is the highest. You should take into consideration your personal exposure to COVID 19 and the risk in relation to your health status.
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Women who are trying to get pregnant do not need to delay the vaccination. Conversely, if you already have had your first dose of Covid 19 vaccine, you do not need to delay in getting pregnant after your second dose. One dose of the vaccine is good protection, but it may not be enough to protect you throughout the whole of your pregnancy.
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Covid 19 vaccines are recommended for breastfeeding women, as there is no proven way that any vaccine ingredient(s) could be passed to your baby through breast milk.
Source :
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist
Royal College of Midwives
Royal College of Pediatricians and child health
World Health Organisation
Joint Committee on vaccination and immunisation
Mayo Clinic US