COVID-19 Vaccine During Pregnancy and Perinatal Outcomes.

Abstract

Introduction When COVID-19 vaccination started, there was little data on the safety of immunization against COVID-19 infection in pregnant women. Previous studies revealed no safety concerns for pregnant women or newborns who received a messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy. This study aimed to investigate the effects of COVID-19 vaccination on pregnant women and on perinatal outcomes. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in a maternity hospital in King Saud Medical City. It started in January 2022 and ended in June 2022. The questionnaire was developed and validated by experts. This study included all women admitted to the postpartum ward who were more than 18 years old and had received the COVID-19 vaccine. The study excluded women who had no proof of their vaccination status or who could not complete the questionnaire. The primary outcome was the effect of COVID-19 vaccination on gestational age and birth weight. The secondary outcomes included the development of polyhydramnios, oligohydramnios, mode of delivery, Apgar score, postpartum hemorrhage, and neonatal intensive care unit admission. Results A total of 365 pregnant women participated in this study. The mean gestational age of the unvaccinated women was 38.83 ± 1.62 weeks, which was significantly (p < 0.001) higher than that of vaccinated women (37.69 ± 2.9 weeks). In addition, the average birth weight for the unvaccinated women was 2.96 ± 0.4 kg, which did not differ significantly (p = 0.89) from that of vaccinated women (2.97 ± 0.66 kg). Conclusion COVID-19 vaccination, regardless of the type of vaccine received before, during, or after pregnancy, is not associated with any unfavorable perinatal outcomes for pregnant women or neonates.