x
Breaking News
More () »

You ask, we answer: Should pregnant women get the COVID-19 vaccine?

The bottom line: it’s up to you and your doctor to make that decision.

HOUSTON — One group of people we’ve had a lot of you ask about is pregnant and breastfeeding women. Many are asking is the new Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine safe for them?

Dr. Luis Ostrosky, UTHealth professor of Infectious Diseases, said first, you should ask your doctor.

“We recommend that you discuss with your OBGYN the relative risk you have for having COVID versus the unknowns of the vaccine in those populations but in general terms, our OB colleagues are recommending to get the vaccine," Dr. Luis Ostrosky said. 

During the FDA discussion, they said there is growing evidence pregnant mothers infected with COVID-19 can have premature births and often pass along the virus to their newborns, who then must be hospitalized.

But also in that presentation, they said "there are currently insufficient data to make conclusions about the safety of the vaccine in subpopulations such as… pregnant and lactating individuals."

Pregnant women were excluded from the study, but 23 women did become pregnant during the study. Nine of them dropped out because of it. The rest are still being followed.

But Dr. David Callender with Memorial Hermann said they want more information before they recommend it to their pregnant employees.

“Right now, we’re basically advising that our pregnant employees avoid this, with this initial allocation. We’ll take a look at those recommendations, see what other information is available and then we’ll make our recommendation," Dr. David Callender said.

Dr. Anthony Fauci has said new clinical trials involving pregnant and breastfeeding moms will likely begin in late January.

So at this point, it’s up to you and your doctor to make that decision.

Before You Leave, Check This Out