Pregnant women urged to get vaccinated

Pregnant women, those who are breastfeeding, and women planning on starting a family are all encouraged to have their Covid-19 vaccines as soon as possible, to protect themselves and their child.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologist, the Royal College of Midwives and the NHS recommend considering vaccination during pregnancy, as it is the best way to protect against the known risks of Covid-19 in pregnancy both for women and babies, including admission to intensive care and premature birth.

Although the overall risks to pregnant women and new-born babies from Covid-19 is low, in later pregnancy some women may become seriously unwell and need hospital treatment.

The health bodies also advise that women who are breastfeeding do not need to stop in order to be vaccinated, and women who are trying to become pregnant do not need to avoid pregnancy after vaccination.

There is also no evidence that the Covid-19 vaccines affects fertility. Women who are planning a family can have their vaccines, which they are recommended to do even if they are receiving fertility treatment.

Professor Lucy Chappell, consultant obstetrician and spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “There is no evidence that the Covid-19 vaccine impacts on fertility.

“When you get the vaccine, you develop immunity by producing an antibody to the spike protein. We use similar vaccines, such as the flu vaccine, or the whooping cough vaccine already in pregnancy and in women who are considering getting pregnant and we know that they are safe. The Covid-19 vaccine is a similar sort of vaccine, called a non-live vaccine.

“We would encourage all women to go ahead and get vaccinated to protect yourself against Covid-19. “

Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “The recommendation from pregnancy and maternity healthcare professionals is that the Covid-19 vaccine is safe and that pregnant women, those who are breastfeeding or who are planning on having children should consider getting vaccinated as soon as they can.

Dr Pat O’Brien, Vice President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, confirmed this: “We encourage all pregnant women to get vaccinated, as the protection that it provides against COVID-19 to both mother and baby outweigh the risks. We are seeing more pregnant women being admitted to hospital with COVID-19, and we know that the Delta variant is causing more pregnant women to have severe illness than previous strains of the virus.”

The Royal College of Midwives has advice, guidance and answers to frequently asked questions about the Covid-19 vaccine, pregnancy and fertility at: www.rcm.org.uk/covid-vaccines-for-pregnant-women/

And helpful information can also be found on the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists website at:

www.rcog.org.uk/en/guidelines-research-services/coronavirus-covid-19-pregnancy-and-womens-health/covid-19-vaccines-and-pregnancy/