Question 1

Should I get vaccinated if I want to become pregnant, am currently pregnant, or am breastfeeding?

Accepted Answer

If you are worried about the impact of the COVID-19 on your fertility or pregnancy, we are here to help! We understand that if you are pregnant, you want to make the best decision for your health and the health of your baby. We hope the information outlined here can help you make an informed decision.  There is a ton of misinformation spreading that the antibodies made by your body after the COVID-19 vaccine can attack the reproductive system or the placenta. These antibodies are made to attack the COVID-19 virus, should you become infected, and will not accidentally attack cells of your own reproductive system or placenta. In other words, your antibodies can tell the difference between the COVID-19 virus and reproductive/placental cells. There is no evidence to suggest that antibodies produced after receiving any of the COVID-19 vaccines can harm fertility and/or pregnancy outcomes.  While the COVID-19 vaccine trials did not enroll pregnant or breastfeeding people, some participants did become pregnant through the course of the trial.5, 7 While participants were asked to refrain from pregnancy, It was found that individuals in both the vaccinated group and the placebo group had similar rates of accidental pregnancies. This also suggests that the vaccine has no impact on fertility.  Currently, there are multiple vaccination surveillance programs being used to monitor adverse outcomes in the thousands of pregnant people who have since gotten the vaccine. So far, there is no significant difference between adverse outcomes in pregnant women vs non-pregnant women. These results suggest that the vaccine does not affect pregnant women any differently than the general population.  Another factor to consider is the effect of COVID-19 infection on your health. Pregnant people are considered a high-risk population for COVID-19 infection. Compared to people who are not pregnant, pregnant people are more likely to be hospitalized and experience more severe illness if infected. Pregnant people infected with COVID-19 may also have a higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm birth, compared to those who are not infected. Vaccination against COVID-19 is known to protect against hospitalization and other severe outcomes, therefore reducing the risk of these negative effects on you and your baby.   If you are currently breastfeeding, you may also consider getting the vaccine. Based on how the vaccine works, there is no reason to believe that the vaccination will pose a risk to the lactating person or the breastfeeding baby. Recent reports have shown that the antibodies produced by the body after vaccination are present in breast milk, however, we do not yet know if this confers protection against COVID-19 to the breastfeeding baby.

Question 2

Is the vaccine going to mess up my menstrual cycle?

Accepted Answer

Great question! While there is no definitive evidence that tells us that the vaccine messes with menstrual cycles, research also indicates that menstrual cycles are sensitive to lifestyle changes and stress. Immune responses to the COVID-19 vaccine may stimulate earlier or later periods, or heavier bleeding. However, these changes are not likely to cause any long-term harm.

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