Experts Answer Questions About Pregnancy and the COVID-19 Vaccine

Pregnant and lactating women were not part of the clinical trials for the COVID-19 vaccine, but most experts say it is safe for them to get vaccinated.

As of Dec. 11, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) issued an interim recommendation for the Pfizer-BioNtech drug to be given to all Americans over the age of 16.

According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the vaccines "should not be withheld from pregnant individuals who meet criteria to the recommended priority groups." The college says lactating women are also permitted to get the vaccine, even though there is no safety data on the drug in these two populations.

Experts told Vogue that COVID-19 impacts pregnant women more severely increasing their risk of hospitalization three-fold.

"Their risk of death is 70% higher than their non-pregnant peers," said Kelly Fradin, M.D., a New York-based pediatrician. She added pregnant healthcare workers "face many levels of concern about coronavirus, becoming sick due to potentially increasing exposure, experiencing pregnancy complications due to infection, and infecting their family members and patients."

Fradin says the benefits of a COVID-19 vaccine to this group are considerable.

While health agencies in the U.K. have advised pregnant and lactating women not to take the vaccine, the U.S. Food and Drug administration has given the go ahead, according to Vogue. And the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine issued a statement saying it "does not recommend cessation of breast-feeding for individuals who are vaccinated against COVID-19."

The academy added there is little biological data the vaccine could cause harm and the antibodies for the virus that are passed to the child through mother's milk might be beneficial.

Fradin told Vogue, "We know from experiences with other illnesses that vaccinating the caregivers and parents protects the children and infant from exposure to the virus."

However, Heidi K. Leftwich, D.O., an expert in maternal and fetal medicine at UMass Memorial Health Care, warned women who want to get pregnant should wait a few months after getting vaccinated.

"Early pregnancy is the time when fetal development occurs and typically poses the largest risks to anomalies from any medical or environmental exposure," she told Vogue, adding getting the vaccinated at the time of conception should be avoided.