Covid-19 vaccines plague pregnant women

‘What is the risk to my child if I get the vaccine? The empty space, that data-free zone of not knowing what the consequences are, is really worrying, “said Jennifer Lewey, a 40-year-old cardiologist at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital who appeared on March 21. .

The dilemma faced by expectant mothers such as dr. Lewey, who decided to transfer vaccination for the time being and rely on masking and other precautions, highlights a gap in the investigation of Covid-19 vaccines during their rapid development: they have not been tested in pregnant women .

Pfizer Inc.,

PFE -0.06%

his partner BioNTech BNTX -1.76%

SE and Modern Inc.,

MRNA -9.20%

the companies behind two Covid-19 vaccines authorized in the US did not undertake late-stage pregnant women to evaluate whether the shots were working safely.

Absent hard data, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine say pregnant people should make the decision themselves and encourage conversations with doctors.

With reference to insufficient data, the World Health Organization has meanwhile usually advised against the shots during pregnancy, except for high-risk individuals such as health workers or people with certain health problems. But the WHO also said on its website on Friday that “we have no specific reason to believe that there will be specific risks that will outweigh the benefits of vaccination for pregnant women.”

Michal Elovitz, an obstetrician-gynecologist and director of the Maternal and Child Health Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania, said she leaves the choice to her patients after discussing the potential benefits and risks.

Expected mothers have a more severe case of Covid-19 than women who are not pregnant, and are more likely to be born prematurely if they contract the disease, Dr Elovitz said. The vaccine can help reduce the risks. It has also been shown that some vaccinations are safe for other infections during pregnancy and that it protects the mother and child, she says.

Most experts say they do not expect any problems based on how mRNA vaccines work. Yet scientists still do not know if the mRNA vaccine can cross the placenta, and if it can, scientists do not know if it will harm the fetus, say experts on the mother and the fetus. This type of vaccine has never been used during pregnancy, they say. The Pfizer and Modern vaccines use a gene-based technology called messenger RNA, which was never cleared for use before the pandemic.

The uncertainty makes the choice to vaccinate very challenging, expectant mothers believe.

“It was a tough decision,” said Brenda Manning, 37, who is currently eligible to receive the vaccine in Dallas, where she lives.

Ms Manning has limited exposure to Covid-19 because she is a stay-at-home mom whose husband works at home. Still, her pregnancy and high blood pressure carry a greater risk of having a severe case of Covid-19, should she get it.

After concentrating on her options, Mrs. Manning decides to sign up for the vaccine, though she has not yet been given a date for her first dose. She reckons she can make one last call if she gets an appointment before the February 14 deadline.

‘If I’m previously called to do so [the baby] come, I’ll make a playtime decision, ‘she said. “And if I do not get the chance to get the vaccine ahead of time, there is my answer.”

According to expectant mothers, the difference between doctors may differ. Many said their doctors guided them through the risks and benefits before leaving the decision. Other women said their doctors encourage vaccination after the talks.

About 39% of pregnant women surveyed by the University of California, San Diego, and the pregnancy counseling group MotherToBaby said they would not get a Covid-19 vaccine if it were available to them, while 25 % said they do not vaccinate during breastfeeding.

Thirteen percent said they would get the vaccine regardless, according to the survey, which began in October and is continuing.

Christina Chambers, a professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego, who is helping lead the survey as part of studies investigating how Covid-19 and the vaccines affect pregnancy and breastfeeding, said the women were hesitant due to the defect. of information.

Dr Chambers said she expects more pregnant women to become comfortable with vaccinations as the deployment continues.

The delay in establishing the safety of Covid-19 vaccines in pregnant women and fetuses stems in part from backwardness in testing animals, said Ruth Faden, founder of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute for Bioethics, which helps the To lead PREVENT project. in the development of vaccines during pandemics.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends animal studies before researchers test vaccinations in pregnant women.

Moderna says he did not find the vaccine to have adverse effects on reproduction or development during testing in rats. The company plans to set up a registry to monitor how mothers who get the vaccine while pregnant and their babies are doing well.

Pfizer says he completed an animal study and submitted the data to the FDA. The European Medicines Agency has said animal studies show that Pfizer’s vaccine has no harmful effect on reproduction or development. Pfizer says it will begin a vaccination study for mothers in the first half of 2021.

Pfizer and Moderna say they are monitoring what happens to those who became pregnant after vaccination, as well as any pregnant people who went through the trials during the trials.

The UK initially did not include women who were pregnant or would soon become pregnant with its vaccination in December. Public Health England updated its guidelines in January, saying that vaccination can be especially important for those who are highly exposed to the virus or have certain underlying high-risk health conditions. In those cases, women can choose whether they want to get the vaccine after talking to their doctor or nurse, the agency said.

In January, the Israeli Ministry of Health updated its guidelines to recommend the vaccine for pregnant women, especially in those with pre-existing medical conditions and those who have a lot of public exposure.

Write to Sarah Toy at [email protected] and Laura Cooper at [email protected]