Covid-19 vaccines safe for couples planning pregnancy, study finds

A recent study led by researchers at the Boston University School of Public Health provides valuable insights into the safety of COVID-19 vaccines for individuals planning to become pregnant. Published in the journal Human Reproduction, the study revealed that there is no increased risk of early or late miscarriage when either male or female partners receive a COVID-19 vaccine before conception.

For this research, the team analyzed survey data on COVID-19 vaccination and miscarriage from participants in the Pregnancy Study Online (PRESTO). The study focuses on women trying to conceive and follows them from preconception through six months after delivery.

The analysis included 1,815 female individuals in the US and Canada who were part of the study from December 2020 through November 2022. Participants were monitored from their first positive pregnancy test until a miscarriage or other relevant event occurred, such as induced abortion, ectopic pregnancy, or reaching 20 weeks of gestation, whichever came first.

Among the female participants, 75 percent had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine before becoming pregnant. Approximately 25 percent of pregnancies resulted in miscarriage, with 75 percent of these miscarriages occurring before eight weeks of gestation, indicating no elevated risk associated with vaccination.

The study found that the risk of miscarriage was 26.6 percent among unvaccinated female participants. In contrast, among female participants who received a COVID-19 vaccine before conception, the risk of miscarriage ranged from 20.1 percent to 24.5 percent, depending on the vaccination status.

Reference: A prospective cohort study of preconception COVID-19 vaccination and miscarriage Get access Arrow, Human Reproduction, DOI 10.1093/humrep/dead211