COVID vaccines are safe to use for pregnant women, new study finds
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A landmark new study contradicts misinformation about the COVID vaccine, pregnancy, fetal brain development, and conditions like autism.
The COVID-19 vaccine is safe to administer during pregnancy, according to a newly-released study by University of California San Francisco researchers.
The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, is the first scientific inquiry into whether infants are at increased risk of neurodevelopmental impairments as a result of maternal vaccination.
The study found that in utero exposure to the vaccine caused no abnormal delays when the infants were tested at 12 months and 18 months.
“This is a very reassuring finding — pregnant women have been facing unanswered questions around COVID vaccinations for several years,” said Eleni Jaswa, a reproductive endocrinologist and fertility specialist at UCSF Health.
UCSF researchers began their investigation in April 2020. After widespread misinformation prompted fears among pregnant women, researchers studied 2,200 infants across the country who had “in utero exposure to the vaccine,” meaning, their mothers were vaccinated while pregnant.
In the study, 34% of participants were vaccinated in the first trimester, about 45% in the second trimester, and nearly 21% in the third trimester. They were asked to complete a 30-item questionnaire assessing whether their infants performed expected milestones.
After adjusting for such factors as maternal age, race, ethnicity, education, income and maternal depression, the researchers found no difference in the risk of infant neurodevelopment at either 12 months or 18 months.
Ever since COVID vaccines became widely available, some pregnant women have chosen to remain unvaccinated due to safety concerns around potential risks to their unborn children.
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“Understandably, there’s been concern about the potential impact of maternal vaccination on offspring,” said senior author Heather Huddleston, a UCSF Health reproductive endocrinologist.
“Despite early safety data as well as recommendations from physicians and health organizations, vaccine hesitancy is still preventing universal use,” Huddleston said. “To this day, misinformation continues to abound. People are concerned about such issues as brain development and conditions like autism in children. This is the first meaningful evidence into the safety of vaccination from the standpoint of early offspring neurodevelopment.”
The COVID vaccine research study is ongoing.
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