Should pregnant women receive the COVID-19 vaccine?
Pregnancy comes with many decisions--what tests to get, whether to learn the gender, where to give birth--and soon, women who are pregnant or planning to conceive, will have to decide whether to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
Posted — UpdatedPregnancy comes with many decisions—what tests to get, whether to learn the gender, where to give birth—and soon, women who are pregnant or planning to conceive, will have to decide whether to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
More Research Is Needed on Pregnancy and the Vaccines
Don’t Delay Vaccination if You’re Trying to Conceive or Breastfeeding
If you’re not yet pregnant, but planning to conceive or undergo fertility treatment, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine says you do not need to delay conception or fertility treatment if you get a vaccine.
“These folks treat infertility all day long and have even said that if you find out you’re pregnant between your two doses of a vaccine (each vaccine requires two), you should still be offered the second dose,” Dr. Brimmage says. “And, they recommend against requiring a negative pregnancy test before someone gets a dose of a vaccine because that would be an unnecessary obstacle for sites administering the vaccines.”
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology says COVID-19 vaccines should be offered to breastfeeding individuals who would like to receive them when they become available.
“I think there’s less concern with breastfeeding because one of the most important benefits of breastfeeding is that maternal antibodies (like the kind you develop from vaccinations) get passed to the infant and protect them, and that is exactly what we want,” Dr. Gay says. “So, there’s less of a safety concern with getting the vaccines for women who are breastfeeding.”
Talk to Your Doctor
Whether you’re pregnant, planning to conceive or breastfeeding, talk to your doctor about what’s best for you.
“Talk to your primary care provider and make a decision based on what your risk is for acquiring COVID, what your risk is for having severe disease, and what the lack of data means for you—where does your risk versus benefit come down?” Dr. Gay says. “People know themselves, and they know the risk, and there are physicians who can also help them think about this and make the best decision.”
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