Covid-19 has been particularly hard on pregnant women, who are at higher risk for severe Covid-19 than non-pregnant women of similar age. Canada has recommended the mRNA vaccine for pregnant women since early 2021. But so far, many pregnant women are still hesitant to get the mRNA vaccine.
“In the early stages of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, vaccination rates among pregnant women were low due to concerns about data availability and vaccine safety. This study looked at changes in the health of a large number of pregnant women and compared them to similar vaccinated populations. Comparisons can help us better understand the safety of Covid-19 vaccines,” said Dr. Manish Sadarangani, the first author of the research paper.
Dr. Manish Sadarangani
The team found that within a week of the first dose of the mRNA new crown vaccine, 4% of the pregnant women who participated in the experiment had a more severe reaction, compared with more than 6% of the unvaccinated subjects. Just over 7 percent of pregnant women experienced more severe symptoms in the week following the second shot, compared with 11 percent of non-pregnant participants. Among them, the most common symptoms are headache or migraine and cold symptoms. Less than 1% of all participants experienced severe discomfort.
“Our findings show that the mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 is safe during pregnancy, and there is no increased risk of miscarriage or other pregnancy complications,” said Dr. Julie Bettinger. “But people should be aware of the more common symptoms that may occur after vaccination, such as injection site redness/pain, fatigue, muscle aches and headaches.”
Dr. Julie Bettinger