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Is it safe to get COVID vaccine during pregnancy?


Although many people look forward to receiving the highly anticipated COVID vaccine, there are others who welcome this opportunity with fear rather than expectation—especially women who are pregnant or want to become pregnant. why is that? Mainly because so far, publicly available data on COVID vaccine and pregnancy are limited. For historical and ethical reasons, these initial studies on the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine deliberately excluded pregnant women, although as the trial progressed, a small number of registered women did become pregnant, and no adverse results have been found in this group’s report. So, with all of this in mind, let’s talk about what we know.

COVID vaccine is safe

Although these vaccines seem to be created quickly, the science behind these vaccines has been known and tested by scientists for decades. It is also believed that the trial progress (perhaps too fast) needs to be limited by the fact that the data was obtained during the pandemic, which allows the collection of a large amount of information about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine in record time. This vaccine has been rigorously tested and followed the same standards as any other vaccine on the market-this environment just makes this happen faster, which is of great benefit to us.

While ensuring safety, it is important to point out that the COVID vaccine still has some short-term vaccine side effects, similar to the side effects we see in other vaccines (such as the flu vaccine routinely given during pregnancy). These symptoms include body aches, headaches, fatigue, and fever, all of which are produced by our own healthy immune system’s response to the vaccine-this is actually a good sign that the body is doing something to any future foreign invaders. Give a strong response! If needed, pregnant women who use acetaminophen can control these effects easily and safely.

related information:
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Oral health and pregnancy: what you need to know

Will the vaccine affect my fertility?

There is no data to support that the vaccine will have a negative impact on your ability to conceive now or in the future. Vaccine molecules will degrade within a few days after completing the job of activating the immune system to fight against any future COVID infections. Within a week after vaccination, there is no residue from the vaccine itself, so you don’t have to worry about “sticking” any foreign substances that may affect fertility. There is also no indication that these vaccines will affect hormone circulation or ovulation, sperm production or fertilization or implantation in any way.

Based on our current knowledge, including years of data on other widely used pregnancy vaccines such as influenza vaccine and Tdap, there is no reason to believe that the COVID vaccine will cause any harmful effects on the mother or baby. In fact, you can argue that the potential benefits of vaccination and avoidance of COVID may have a positive impact on the chances of a healthy pregnancy. Pregnancy itself increases your risk of getting a more serious COVID case, in which case the rate of hospitalization and ICU admission for pregnant women has increased. A healthy mother equates to a greater chance of having a healthy baby, and historically, the regular use of most vaccines during pregnancy has helped ensure this.

If pregnant, when is the best time to get the vaccine?

There is no data to suggest that waiting for the vaccine until late in pregnancy is safer than in the early stages. However, the decision about when to get the vaccine should be discussed with your healthcare provider. Considerations about the risks and benefits of vaccination depend on several factors, including the level of active virus transmission in the community, the efficacy of the vaccine itself, and the potential risk to the mother or baby. Mothers with underlying health conditions (such as diabetes or high blood pressure) may increase the health risks associated with COVID, so a more timely vaccination schedule can be considered.

In terms of the benefits to the baby, we do know that the antibodies produced by the mother during the vaccination will also pass through the placenta and protect the baby-this is called Passive immunity. You can imagine that babies whose immune systems are not fully developed at birth, and babies born to vaccinated mothers already have antibodies, so they can resist COVID. The same concept also applies to vaccinating mothers with Tdap during pregnancy, so that their babies will have a certain degree of passive immunity to whooping cough (a life-threatening disease) at birth.

Which vaccine should I get?

There are currently two general types of vaccines available: 2 doses mRNA vaccine (One is made by Moderna, the other is made by Pfizer-BioNTech) and 1 dose Viral vector vaccine (Made by Johnson/Johnson).this mRNA vaccine It does not contain any live viruses, and directly transmits the genetic information encoding a small part of the COVID virus to our cells. Our cells use this information to create a copy of the coronavirus spike protein, which is the reason for our immune response against the virus. Although this is a new vaccination method that has not been widely used so far, the technology has been used in cancer research for many years.

or, Viral vector vaccine A different modified harmless virus is used to deliver a COVID virus particle (spike protein) into our cells. Then our body will produce an immune response against the coronavirus. Janssen used the same delivery system and its Ebola vaccine, which has been tested on all three-month-old women, and no adverse pregnancy-related consequences have been reported. Animal (non-human) studies were also completed using all three COVID vaccines (mRNA and viral vector models), and no negative results were reported, which is worthwhile.

So which one should I choose when I am pregnant? Similarly, long-term safety and efficacy data for pregnant women have not yet been established, although research on all three vaccines is ongoing and showing reassuring results. Due to the safety of all available vaccines, most health officials recommend that you take any of the available vaccines. Although their mechanisms are different, none of the vaccine types are better than the other because they can almost 100% prevent severe COVID infection and/or hospitalization.

Bottom line: should pregnant women be vaccinated?

In the final analysis, this is a personal choice, although pregnant women should be as informed as possible. Because pregnant women are not included in the initial safety and effectiveness studies of the COVID vaccine, they are usually advised to discuss with healthcare providers to help weigh the risks and benefits of vaccination.

However, our knowledge of the overall safety and effectiveness of this vaccine indicates that pregnant women will benefit greatly from it. Finally, there is no reason to think that vaccination in early pregnancy is less safe than vaccination in late pregnancy. If you are actively trying to get pregnant, you should not wait for vaccination.Multiple medical groups, including Olympic Organizing Committee (American Academy of Obstetrics and Gynecology) and Maternal and Fetal Medical Association It also supports these recommendations and encourages pregnant women and those trying to become pregnant to get vaccinated when the vaccine is available.

Cecily D. Havert, MD

website:
https://nvafamilypractice.com/

Cecily D. Havert, MD He holds a bachelor of science degree in medical microbiology and bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She received her MD from the Medical College of Wisconsin and completed her residency training in family medicine at Fairfax Family Practice-VCU.

She is a doctor of the Northern Virginia Family Practice Association (NVFP), a family medicine practice that provides full-service concierge healthcare in the Northern Virginia area. Dr. Havert has an impressive background in preventive health care, mental health support, and outpatient medicine. He focuses on women’s health and focuses on the LGBTQ+ community.

Before joining NVFP, Dr. Havert worked as a doctor in General Internal Medicine Group and Springfield Family Medicine.

She is passionate about cultivating the emotional and mental health needs of patients, and her goal is to provide everyone with the highest quality and personalized medical services and a safe environment.

Awards and recognition

• Four-year Washington Magazine Top Doctor Award,

• The 2012 Top Primary Care Doctor Award in Washington, DC.

Give back

• Contribute regularly to The Second Half Podcast, which shares people’s stories about the challenges and happiness they experienced, especially in the second half of their lives.

• Advocate of the National Center for Women and Family Studies,

• Actively formulate health care policies on behalf of the American Academy of Family Physicians

Dr. Havert has extensive experience in healthcare policy and communication, public speaking, and education. She trained future medical professionals as a clinical assistant professor of family medicine at Georgetown University. She also talked about major public health issues such as anxiety, menopause, women’s cardiovascular health and the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his spare time, Dr. Havert enjoys playing tennis, hiking, painting and traveling. She currently lives in Alexandria, Virginia with her college sweetheart, two sons, and a group of pets: two cats, two long-bearded dragon lizards, and a dog.





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