Are COVID-19 Vaccines Safe During Pregnancy?

The short answer: Yes — and it’s also safe to get a COVID-19 vaccine if you’re breastfeeding or trying to conceive.

Every mom-to-be wants to have the healthiest pregnancy possible. During the COVID-19 pandemic, that has meant wearing a mask, avoiding crowds and social distancing — and now, getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

Health officials and experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine are all urging pregnant women to get the COVID-19 vaccine, pointing to data that show the vaccines are safe and effective. On the other hand, there are serious risks to not getting vaccinated: Pregnant women and their babies have far greater risk of hospitalization and intubation, as well as preterm birth and other complications. Despite these risks, about two-thirds of pregnant women in the United States remain unvaccinated.

If you’re feeling scared or anxious about getting vaccinated while you’re pregnant (or thinking of getting pregnant, or breatfeeding), that’s completely understandable — we’ve never experienced something like COVID-19 in our lifetimes, and every parent just wants what’s best for their child. But that’s why What to Expect creator Heidi Murkoff recently sat down with Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Chief Medical Advisor to the President, and a leader on the White House COVID-19 Response Team. Heidi peppered Dr. Fauci with the most pressing questions from parents in the What to Expect Community.

Highlights from the interview:

Is the COVID-19 vaccine safe during pregnancy?
"[I]f you look at the literally — literally — tens and tens and tens of thousands of women who have been followed by the CDC who were vaccinated when they were pregnant, there’s no indication whatsoever that there’s any increase of any adverse issues in a pregnant woman who was vaccinated compared to a pregnant woman who wasn’t vaccinated…It’s really one of those things that’s kind of not a close call. It really is pretty clear that pregnant women should get vaccinated."

Can you continue breastfeeding after getting the COVID-19 vaccine?
"[I]t is not only safe, but it’s a good idea…you should know that you’re doing something positive to protect the baby" (because you’re passing antibodies through your breastmilk).

Will the COVID-19 vaccine impact your fertility?
"[T]here have been hundreds and hundreds of millions of people now who’ve been vaccinated throughout the world. There’s no indication whatsoever that the vaccine interferes with fertility in a woman or fertility in a man’s ability to impregnate a woman. No evidence whatsoever."

Read the full transcript and learn more at WhatToExpect.com:
https://www.whattoexpect.com/news/pregnancy/fauci-covid19-vaccine-safety-pregnancy-breastfeeding-fertility