Are you pregnant or breastfeeding and don't know if you should get vaccinated against Corona? Here's what you should know before you make your decision.
Recommendation
COVID-19 vaccination should be given in the 2nd or 3rd trimester with an mRNA vaccine depending on vaccination status. Preference should be given to Comirnaty because it has the most extensive observational evidence of use. However, Spikevax may also be used after age 30. Routine pregnancy testing prior to vaccination is not necessary. In any case, in the case of a pregnancy occurring around a vaccination, this does not result in an indication for abortion. The pregnancy is also not to be classified as a high-risk pregnancy.
[Source: sozialministerium.at]
Lactation period
During lactation, vaccinations against COVID-19 are recommended depending on possible previous vaccinations. There is no evidence that mRNA vaccines or their components pass into breast milk and that any risk could be derived from this. This is also not expected to occur with vector vaccines.
[Source: sozialministerium.at]
This is what science says
Evaluations of data from VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System, USA), an official statement from the EMA, the CDC, and other health authorities and expert bodies confirm the harmlessness of vaccinations during pregnancy. This assessment is confirmed by another recent publication on data from nearly 200,000 women. This publication provides a detailed analysis of vaccination reactions and side effects and compares the data with unvaccinated pregnant women. Here, it is noted that vaccine reactions within seven days of vaccination were reported slightly more often in pregnant women, but no severe adverse reactions. Significantly, this study found that neither miscarriages nor spontaneous abortions were more common in the vaccinated group (1.5%) than in the unvaccinated cohort (2.1%).
[Source: Executive Report of the November 7, 2022 GECKO meeting]
Facts, Figures, Facts
Pregnant women are two to three times more likely to have severe or very severe COVID-19 than women of the same age who are not pregnant. The risk of preterm birth or preeclampsia is increased by 17% and 10%, respectively, in pregnant women who have COVID-19. After vaccination, there is a significantly lower likelihood of becoming ill after contact with the virus. In the event of illness, a much milder course of the disease can be expected.
[Source: BMSGPK]
Benefit-Risk Evaluation
Get detailed advice from your doctor and carry out an individual and careful benefit-risk evaluation.
