COVID-19 Vaccination Not Tied to Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes

TUESDAY, June 25, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- mRNA COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy is not associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, according to a study published in the June issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Kimberly K. Vesco, M.D., M.P.H., from Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon, and colleagues evaluated the association between antenatal mRNA COVID-19 vaccination and risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Analysis included 55,591 individuals with singleton pregnancies with live deliveries (June 1, 2021, to Jan. 31, 2022), with data available from eight integrated health care systems participating in the Vaccine Safety Datalink.

The researchers found that 42.3 percent of the cohort received one or two mRNA COVID-19 vaccine doses during pregnancy, with receipt varying by maternal age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, and history of COVID-19. mRNA COVID-19 vaccination was associated with a decreased risk of preterm birth (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.89; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.83 to 0.94) compared with no vaccination. There was no association between vaccination and small for gestational age (aHR, 1.06; 95 percent CI, 0.99 to 1.13), gestational diabetes (adjusted risk ratio [aRR], 1.00; 95 percent CI, 0.90 to 1.10), gestational hypertension (aRR, 1.08; 95 percent CI, 0.96 to 1.22), or preeclampsia-eclampsia-HELLP (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count) syndrome (aRR, 1.10; 95 percent CI, 0.97 to 1.24).

"This information will be helpful for patients and clinicians when considering COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text