COVID-19 vaccination not associated with adverse obstetric outcomes

1. Receiving at least 1 dose of COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy was not associated with increased risk of preterm birth (<37 weeks), very preterm birth (<32 weeks), small for gestational age (SGA), or stillbirth.

Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good)

COVID-19 infection during pregnancy is known to be associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes, including preterm birth, stillbirth, and postpartum hemorrhage. Although vaccination against COVID-19 is recommended against pregnancy, reports show that there is lower uptake of vaccines amongst pregnant women compared to other women of reproductive age. As well, three cohort studies have shown no association of vaccination during pregnancy with adverse birth outcomes. This current retrospective study also examined the association between COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes such as preterm birth (<37 weeks), very preterm birth (<32 weeks), small for gestational age (SGA), and stillbirth. This study based out of Ontario, Canada included 85,162 births between May and December 2021, with 50.6% of individuals having received at least one dose of vaccine during pregnancy. The results showed no association with preterm birth, which occurred at a rate of 6.5% among those vaccinated in pregnancy and 6.9% among those not vaccinated in pregnancy (adjusted hazard ratio 1.02, 95% CI 0.96-1.08). There was also no association of receiving 1 or more doses of COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy with very preterm birth (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.67-0.95), SGA (aHR 0.98, 95% CI 0.93-1.03), or stillbirth (aHR 0.65, 95% CI 0.51-0.84). Overall, this study added to the growing body of literature demonstrating the safety of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy, with regards to adverse birth outcomes.

Click to read the study in BMJ

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