Ever since the vaccination process against COVID-19 virus began, pregnant women around the world have been confused whether the vaccine during pregnancy would be safe or not. Moreover, the vaccination was speculated to cause damage to the placenta. Finally, the said fears have been debunked by a recent study.
The study published in JAMA Today states that the COVID-19 vaccine do not harm the pregnant women, it rather protect them. Additionally, it could be beneficial for the infants as well. Although, it was already learned in February that pregnant women can pass the antibodies to the infant in the uterus, the study has confirmed it as well. It suggests that vaccinated women can pass protective antibodies to their fetuses through the bloodstream. Moreover, the breastfeeding mothers can also pass the antibodies to their infants through breast milk.
The study also states that Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna produce immune responses in women who are pregnant and lactating, and they can provide protection against at least two variants. Dr. Ai-ris Y. Collier, one of the authors of the study and a Physician-Scientist as Beth Israel said, “Vaccination of pregnant people and lactating people actually leads to transfer of some immunity to their newborns and lactating infants.”
Another study done by a team at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, USA, was published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. It states that the COVID-19 vaccine does not damage the placenta and is safe to use during pregnancy.
This research was done on the samples taken from 84 vaccinated pregnant women and 116 unvaccinated patients. The maternal and umbilical cord blood sample were collected. The research found that the pregnant women who were Covid positive while pregnant had placental injury, which led to abnormal flow of blood from mother to the fetus. However, no placental injury was observed in the vaccinated pregnant women who gave birth.
Other than that, the study also found that the pregnant women who received vaccine during third trimester had transplacental transfer of the antibodies to the unborn child.
