What pregnant patients need to know about COVID vaccines

There is no evidence that the vaccine adversely affects pregnancy, breast milk, or fertility, said presenter Dr. Geeta Swamy, during a webinar hosted by the Dental Association of America on March 17th. Swamy is associate president for research and vice-dean for scientific integrity at Duke University. She went on to explain, of course, that pregnant women are at increased risk of COVID-19 disease.

“It’s important to vaccinate pregnant women,” Swamy said during the webinar, titled “Oh Baby! COVID-19 vaccine information on pregnancy and pregnancy.”

Pregnant patients with typical COVID-19 are at increased risk of exacerbated illness, including admission to intensive care units, need for ventilation, and mortality, compared to peers or neoplasms. -through, Swamy said. Comorbidities such as obesity and diabetes increase those risks, she said.

Swamy acknowledged the reluctance of some to get vaccinated, citing the information that is still circulating and that pregnant women were not included in vaccine trials, despite a health community of the women demanding their introduction.

However, Swamy said, “I think we are closer to pregnant women saying ought to get the vaccine against them can get the COVID-19 vaccine. “

Pregnancy, immunity and vaccination

Patients need to know that, during pregnancy, their bodies undergo immunological changes that make them more susceptible to infectious-related infections.

“When a woman is pregnant, our immune system recognizes things that are foreign to our body,” she said. “A fetus is foreign to our body because we don’t have half the DNA.”

Vaccination also reduces the infectious immune response to reduce fetal rejection, and all vaccines have the ability to protect mothers from disease during pregnancy and for the rest of their lives, Swamy added.

While these factors are important, she noted that being pregnant does not increase the risk of getting COVID-19. But she warned that getting COVID-19 could lead to worse outcomes for pregnant women.

Despite the uncertainty, it is promising that 51,130 expectant mothers in the U.S. have received the vaccine on March 15, 2021. Of those, 3,215 are enrolled in the COVID v-safe vaccine pregnancy register. -19 at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The women who have registered have agreed to provide information about their pregnancy and the health of the baby through phone calls and medical records. They provide the data while carrying their children and up to three months postpartum, she said.

“This is great, and we know that number is higher,” Swamy said.

Based on the mode of action of the vaccines, there is also no risk to lactating women or their babies, Swamy said.

“So, lactating people may choose to get the vaccine,” she said. “There are no concerns from a safety perspective.”

Furthermore, there is no evidence to date that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause fertility problems. Swamy said she received several angry calls from women who received their vaccinations and then found out they were pregnant with a baby. But there is no reason to warn, and one does not have to avoid pregnancy after receiving the vaccine, she explained.

“There is no evidence that any vaccines cause fertility problems in women and men,” she said.

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