Aug 21, 2021 3 min read

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has joined other groups, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine in recommending the COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant women.

The recommendation is based on data collected from thousands of pregnant women who were vaccinated.

Dr. Millicent McCarren, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Allegheny Health System, encourages expectant mothers to get vaccinated, and said the data and recommendations are reassuring pieces of information.

McCarren is pregnant and is expecting her first child in November.

“So I completely understand concerns about the vaccine and getting it, but it’s just another safety net around mom and baby that I think is very important,” said McCarren.

Unvaccinated pregnant women are at higher risk for serious illness if they get COVID-19, resulting in increased chances of hospitalization, admission to the intensive care unit and intubation, McCarren said.

Most of McCarren’s pregnant COVID-19 patients have had only mild coronavirus symptoms. But McCarren said she’s also seen patients who developed COVID-19 pneumonia and long coronavirus syndrome.

“For patients who are exposed to COVID and become sick during pregnancy, the risks to themselves and baby are much higher,” said McCarren.

The vaccine is recommended for women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to get pregnant.

Mounting data shows the vaccines are safe for mother and baby, with rates of birth defects, miscarriages or pre-term births reported at no higher rates than the baseline, McCarren said.

McCarren said the shots do not affect fertility for young women, although she regularly contends with that myth – and subsequent vaccine hesitancy – fueled by misinformation on social media.

“There’s been a lot of false information about fertility risks, and there is no data to support that,” said McCarren, noting the American Society of Reproductive Medicine also recommends the vaccine.

According to the CDC, roughly 24% of pregnant people between the ages of 18 and 59 have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

McCarren encouraged pregnant women of find a health care provider they feel comfortable with and who they can be open and honest with about their concerns.

She also recommended expectant mothers call Mother to Baby Association, a nonprofit organization that provides information on the safety or risk of medications, drugs, or other exposures during pregnancy and while breastfeeding, at 1-866-626-6847.

“I think that as we collect more data, and as boosters become available, we’ll continue to see the benefits of getting the vaccine outweigh the risks,” said McCarren.