COVID-19 Vaccination Outcomes Among Breastfeeding Woman and Their Children – a Pharmacovigilance Survey Research

Abstract

Background: The scarcity of data on Covid-19 vaccination among lactating women raises concern about the safety of vaccines in this group of patients. Lactating individuals who decided to get vaccinated participated in our pharmacovigilance survey research. We present a profile of adverse events reported among these women and their children. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among breastfeeding women who had received COVID-19 vaccines. Participants were recruited through social media and websites. We examined the frequency of adverse events among breastfeeding women, their children and impact on breastfeeding. Statistical analysis included chi-square tests and logistic regression. Findings: We included 702 breastfeeding mothers. 486 mothers were vaccinated with Pfizer, 83 with Moderna, 95 with AstraZeneca, and 38 with Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine. 7·1% mothers reported adverse reactions among their children, most of which were mild. 95·9% mothers did not observe any impact on milk supply, 2·4% observed decreased and 1·7% observed increased milk supply. Statistical analysis showed that the occurrence of undesirable symptoms in children had not been related to the number of vaccine doses taken by the mother, the type of vaccine or the age of the child. Interpretation: Maternal vaccination during lactation might affect some breastfed babies and milk supply in some women, but in most there will be no noticeable effect. These outcomes might not be related to the specific vaccine. Our study supports the statement that the benefits of maternal vaccination during lactation outweigh the risks.Funding: None to declare. Declaration of Interest: None to declare. Ethical Approval: The Bioethics Commission of the Medical University of Poznan determined that the study was exempt from the review.