There are several questions asked about vaccinations for pregnant women. As the large clinical trials which showed that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective did not include pregnant women. This means there is insufficient evidence about the effects of COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy. The truth is pregnant women are more probable to get severely sick with COVID-19 compared with non-pregnant people.
If you are pregnant, you can receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Receiving a COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy can safeguard you from serious illness COVID-19. Any of the currently authorized COVID-19 vaccines can be administered to pregnant women. It’s sensible to consult with your doctor before taking the vaccine because they would be adequately equipped to counsel you, depending on your condition but is not required for the vaccination process.
Scroll down to know the latest updates about vaccination for pregnant women:
What should pregnant women do to avoid the coronavirus?
Taking measures to avoid getting infected by novel coronavirus is the best way to be safe for a pregnant woman. The expecting mothers can take the following precautions:
- keeping your prenatal care visit
- wearing a mask or cloth face-covering in public and any other needed protection while at work
- limiting contact with other people as much as possible
- staying at least 6 feet away from other people and avoiding crowds if you need to go out.
- avoiding contact with other people in places that do not offer fresh air from the outdoors
- washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
- cleaning hands with a hand sanitiser that contains at least 60 per cent alcohol if you can’t wash them
- having a good stock of essential supplies, including at least 30 days of any medications
- talking with an ob-gyn or other health care professional if you have any questions about your health or COVID-19
- calling 911 or going to the hospital right away if you need emergency health care
Key information
Since the supply of vaccinations has started there are many views on pregnant women being vaccinated. The associations of gynecologists world over have said that, since pregnancy with Covid is a very high-risk condition, it is recommended that the advantage of the vaccine should be prolonged to pregnant females as well. The Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI) has also instructed that all pregnant females should get vaccinated as soon as possible.
The latest advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is that COVID-19 vaccines should be delivered to pregnant women at the same time as the rest of the population, based on their age and clinical risk group. Even a pregnant woman typically takes two weeks after vaccination for the body to build protection (immunity) against the virus that causes COVID-19. You are not fully vaccinated until 2 weeks after the 2nd dose of a two-dose vaccine or two weeks after a one-dose vaccine.
Personally, I would like to advise all pregnant women to make a knowledgeable judgment to get vaccinated, evaluating the advantages of taking the vaccine certainly overshadows the hazards connected with not taking the vaccine and contracting the virus.
Personal choice
Being pregnant and vaccinated is your own individual choice. Pregnant patients who decline vaccination should be supported in their verdict. However, their decision to receive or not receive the vaccine renders an opportunity to recollect patients about the significance of other prevention measures such as hand washing, physical distancing, and wearing a mask.
If you are pregnant and want to be vaccinated then you should be well informed priorly about your condition, exposure to the risk, ill effects on baby, advantages and disadvantages. You can have a conversation with your healthcare provider to help you agree on whether to receive a vaccine that has been authorized for use under Emergency Use Authorization or not. Being informed is always helpful for your decision making.
Pregnant people are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19
There is insufficient information about the effects of COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy. As the COVID-19 vaccines were not tested in pregnant women, they cannot say for clearly that they work as well in pregnant women as they do in other adults. Nevertheless, there is no justification to believe that the vaccines will not protect pregnant women effectively against COVID-19. Likewise, there is no reason to speculate that the vaccine will have worse side effects in pregnant women. COVID-19 vaccines do not contain ingredients that are known to be harmful to pregnant women or to a developing baby.
Studies of the vaccines in animals to look at the effects on pregnancy have shown no evidence that the vaccine causes harm to the pregnancy or fertility. There is limited UK data on COVID-19 vaccination and pregnancy. However, robust real-world data from the United States – where around 90,000 pregnant women have been vaccinated mainly with mRNA vaccines, such as Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna – have not raised any safety concerns. Therefore, the JCVI advises that it is preferable for the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna mRNA vaccines to be offered to pregnant women in the UK, where available.
Benefits
The vaccine should work whatever the stage of pregnancy you are in. Vaccination is beneficial in curbing COVID-19 infection. More than half of women who test positive for COVID-19 in pregnancy have no symptoms at all but some pregnant women can get the life-threatening illness from COVID-19, especially if they have underlying health conditions. In the later stages of pregnant women are at intensified risk of becoming extremely unwell with COVID-19.
Several women may prefer to postpone their vaccine until after the first 12 weeks and plan to have the first dose at any time from 13 weeks onwards. As pregnant women are more likely to be extremely suffering and have a higher risk of their baby being born prematurely if they develop COVID-19 in the third trimester (after 28 weeks) which can affect their long-term health.), women are advised to have the vaccine before their third trimester. The benefits of vaccination in the pregnant woman include reduction of the risk of prematurity for the baby and potentially reducing transmission to vulnerable household members.
Side Effects
Common side effects in the pregnant woman should be understood as part of counselling patients, containing that they are a normal part of the body’s reaction to the vaccine and developing antibodies to protect against COVID-19 illness. Study participants for both the Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna vaccines encountered mild side effects identical to influenza-like illness symptoms. In the Pfizer-BioNtech study subgroup of person’s age, 18-55 years fever greater than 38°C occurred in 3.7% after the first dose and 15.8% after the second dose. In the Moderna vaccine trials, fever greater than 38°C was reported in 0.8% of vaccine recipients after the first dose, and 15.6% of vaccine recipients after the second dose
Most of these symptoms resolved by day 3 after vaccination for both vaccines. These common side effects don’t affect the baby at all. Though one should advisably be in contact with their gynaecologist if any adverse symptoms are observed.