Pregnant women who receive the Covid vaccine do not develop symptoms more severe than others
Washington:
Pregnant and nursing women who receive the COVID-19 vaccine do not experience symptoms more severe than their non-pregnant counterparts, according to a study of 17,000 individuals.
The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, included pregnant or nursing women and those who were not pregnant or breastfeeding in January 2021.
The women were invited to describe their reactions after receiving at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In March, 17,525 people had responded.
Respondents included women who were pregnant (44 percent) or breastfeeding (38 percent) and women who said they plan to become pregnant in the near future (15 percent).
The study showed “there were no increased responses in pregnant individuals beyond what is expected from a vaccine,” said Linda Eckert, a professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine in the US.
The majority (62 percent) of the participants received the Pfizer vaccine, and most lived in the US.
Respondents reported injection site pain (91 percent) and fatigue (31 percent), and an average temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit after the injection, the researchers said.
A small group (5-7 percent) reported a decrease in milk supply after vaccination, they said.
The study supports that women tolerate the vaccine well and should be included in clinical trials for other relevant vaccines, Ms Eckert said.
“We hope this data will be another reassuring piece of information… about why pregnant individuals should be vaccinated against COVID-19,” said Ms Eckert.
“Not only is the vaccine safe, our research shows how well the vaccine is tolerated by pregnant individuals – which is a common fear I hear from my patients.
“In contrast, we continue to learn more and more about how dangerous COVID-19 infections are during pregnancy,” she added. Study lead author Alisa Kachikis noted that pregnant people do well with the COVID-19 vaccine.
“I am not surprised, but I am happy with the result. It is further evidence that the vaccine is safe and well tolerated in pregnant individuals,” she added.
The researchers noted that there are currently 20,000 women participating in the survey, and new respondents continue to post their experiences.
They hope to expand the research to other socioeconomic groups and to women who are not as closely linked to health care as this group.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NewsMadura staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.)
