UW study finds pregnant individuals ‘do well’ with COVID vaccine

Pregnant and breast-feeding individuals appear to have no more trouble with the COVID-19 vaccine than anyone else, according to a new study from UW Medicine.

UW Medicine released that finding after surveying more than 17,000 pregnant and lactating individuals.

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Doctors say the vaccine does not increase the risk of miscarriage and protects unborn children.

“We have much safety data now. We have much more assurances of no increased risk of miscarriage,” said Dr. Linda Eckert, an OB-GYN with UW Medicine. “We have assurances that the antibodies that are made are passed to the mom, to the baby via breast milk, via cord blood.”

Unknowns about the vaccine and pregnancy have kept many women from getting inoculated. About one-quarter of U.S. pregnant women were vaccinated as of the end of July, and that percentage is even lower among Black and Latina women. These findings come one week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that all pregnant women become vaccinated.

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University of Washington doctors also say it’s clear that pregnant women who do get COVID-19 face a slew of possible complications, some for their babies.

“There’s an increased risk of death, it’s 14 times,” Dr. Eckert said of pregnant women who get COVID-19. “There’s increased risk of pre-term labor, 22 times. There’s an increased risk of needing a ventilator.”

Learn more about the survey and findings from the UW Medicine newsroom release online here.