CDC Recommends all Pregnant Women Receive the COVID Vaccine

The New England Journal of Medicine on April 21 published a study of preliminary findings of mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine safety among pregnant people. Researchers from the CDC’s V-safe COVID-19 Pregnancy Registry Team used data from the agency’s V-safe surveillance system, the V-safe pregnancy registry, and the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). A total of 35,691 V-safe participants aged 16 to 54 years identified as pregnant. Among those people, injection site pain was reported more frequently than among the nonpregnant population, but headache, muscle aches, chills, and fever were reported less frequently. Of 221 pregnancy-related adverse events reported to the VAERS, the most frequently reported was spontaneous abortion (46 cases). The researchers note that although not directly comparable, the proportions of adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes (eg, fetal loss, preterm birth, small size for gestational age, congenital anomalies, and neonatal death) among vaccinated persons who had completed pregnancy were similar to incidences reported in studies of pregnant people conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The preliminary findings did not show obvious safety signals for pregnant persons receiving mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, but the researchers noted the need for continued monitoring. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine has encouraged everyone, including pregnant persons and those seeking to become pregnant, to receive a SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.