United States: The COVID-19 vaccine is safe for pregnant women to receive since research results confirm they will not cause birth defects in their developing baby, scientists announced, as reported by HealthDay.
The research revealed that early pregnancy COVID vaccination does not lead to birth defects according to their findings.
Study Finds No Increased Risk
A Pediatrics study established that birth defects showed similar occurrence rates when using Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine products.
Based on their investigation, the research team concluded that COVID-19 vaccinations remain safe throughout early pregnancy, according to Stacey Rowe, who leads the study as a postdoctoral fellow in infectious diseases at the University of California-San Francisco.
Why Vaccination Matters for Expecting Mothers
Immunization serves as a recommendation for expectant mothers because studies report COVID exposure during pregnancy elevates the possibility of premature birth and fetal death together with the dependency of newborns on NICU services.
Rejection of the vaccine occurred because people believe it may lead to birth defects despite the presence of reported data from researchers.
Researchers analyzed 78,000 pregnancy cases obtained from public and private health insurance benefits claims data.
The evidence shows that unvaccinated individuals faced 1,248 birth defects yet people who received vaccinations only reported 199 such cases.
The study results showed unvaccinated women had 160 birth defects per 10,000 born babies, while vaccinated women experienced 156 birth defects per 10,000 births.
Research investigators disclosed that birth defect rates remained steady regardless of whether expectant mothers obtained other recommended vaccinations, including flu and whooping cough vaccines.
According to researchers the occurrence of birth defects remained unchanged for pregnant women who acquired COVID during their pregnancy, as reported by HealthDay.
Supporting Vaccine Confidence in Pregnancy
“The study’s findings are consistent with a growing body of literature supporting the safety of COVID-19 vaccines and their use in pregnancy, including in early periods of gestation,” researchers concluded.
“Vaccine safety is a common concern for patients considering vaccination,” they wrote. “Provider recommendations are the most important predictors of person’s decision to vaccinate during pregnancy, even for those who have previously declined.”
“Our findings can strengthen provider-to-patient discussions relating to the safety of COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy,” the report continued. “Providers across all clinical and public health settings should recommend COVID-19 vaccination for their pregnant patients at any gestation period.”