Can COVID Vaccine Increase Risk Of Miscarriage Or Stillbirth? Here's What Experts Say

Is there is an increased risk of miscarriage or stillbirth due to COVID vaccine? Here's what experts have to say about the concerns.

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New Delhi: According to UK medical regulator, there is no evidence showing the impact of COVID vaccine on reproduction or childbearing ability. The Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said that till now no pattern has been found so far to show that the vaccine used in the UK, or reaction to it, increases the risk of miscarriage or premature birth.

COVID-19 vaccine does not pose risk of miscarriage 

The agency explained that the report of miscarriage and premature birth is so far low with respect to pregnant women who have received the COVID vaccine. The data showed that most of the pregnant women hospitalised due to COVID were not vaccinated.

At the beginning of vaccination last December, due to a lack of data, pregnant women were not administered the vaccine on a regular basis. But the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, a panel advising the government on vaccination, later stated that vaccination is safe for pregnant women.

Immunsation is safe for pregnant women

Pregnant women are given Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at an interval of eight weeks. MHRA says 90,000 pregnant women in the world have been vaccinated against COVID and according to data they are not at risk of miscarriage, premature birth, or reproductive issues. Research has found that coronavirus infection in pregnancy can increase the risk of premature birth by up to 60 percent. Researchers at the University of California concluded that pregnant women who are coronavirus positive are more likely to be delivered at 37 weeks or earlier.

They collected data on 240,000 births from July 2020 to January 2021. During this time, about 9,000 women were found COVID positive at some point of time during their pregnancy. Premature birth can have short-term and long-term adverse impacts on the baby. The results of the research have been published in Lancet Regional Health. Researchers said pregnant women with COVID symptoms are two to three times more likely to give birth to a premature baby.