Messenger RNA anti-Covid vaccines pose little risk to pregnant women according to two recent studies, one of which notably shows that there is no particular danger of miscarriage or premature birth.
The first, published last week in the Lancet Infectious Diseases, evaluates the immediate risks of side effects in pregnant women after a messenger RNA vaccine. The second, published this Thursday in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) measures, in the longer term, the risks of childbirth.
The two studies present reassuring conclusions about these vaccines, one developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and the other by Moderna, which are at the heart of anti-Covid vaccination in various countries such as France.
“Anti-Covid-19 vaccination during pregnancy is not associated with an increased risk of premature delivery (or) spontaneous abortion,” summarize the BMJ authors, who also conclude that there is no danger of the newborn being abnormally small.
This study, carried out in Canada, retrospectively studied more than 85,000 deliveries or spontaneous abortions that occurred between May and December 2021. In approximately half of the cases, the mother had received one or two doses of the anti-Covid vaccine during her pregnancy. Ultimately, pregnancy outcome is no different in this group.
No higher risk
As for the immediate side effects of messenger RNA vaccines, they are generally not more frequent during pregnancy, according to the study from the Lancet Infectious Diseases.
The authors compared data from more than 5,000 women vaccinated during their pregnancy with those from about 300 unvaccinated pregnant women. Ils ont mesuré the proportion of problems of santé “significatifs” (who need to be interrupted are professional activities or consult a doctor) during the week following the vaccination, chez le premier groupe, ou dans celle précédant la réponse à leur questionnaire, chez the second.
No difference is seen after the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine or the first dose of Moderna. Instead, after the second dose of it, the risk increases a little. However, even after a second dose of Moderna, it makes no difference if only conditions requiring a medical consultation are taken into account.
“Messenger RNA vaccines against Covid 19 have a good safety profile during pregnancy,” the authors conclude.
Source: BFM TV
