UPDATEThe CDC on August 11 echoed ACOG’s advice, recommending that pregnant and breastfeeding individuals be vaccinated against COVID-19 based on new safety data.

UPDATE

The CDC on August 11 echoed ACOG’s advice, recommending that pregnant and breastfeeding individuals be vaccinated against COVID-19 based on new safety data.

Key TakeawaysThe nation’s leading organization for OB-GYNs now recommends the COVID-19 vaccine for pregnant people.This is a change from ACOG’s previous recommendation that suggested those who are pregnant be allowed to get the vaccine, if they wanted it.Data so far indicates that the vaccine is safe for pregnant individuals.

Key Takeaways

The nation’s leading organization for OB-GYNs now recommends the COVID-19 vaccine for pregnant people.This is a change from ACOG’s previous recommendation that suggested those who are pregnant be allowed to get the vaccine, if they wanted it.Data so far indicates that the vaccine is safe for pregnant individuals.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the leading organization for OB-GYNs in the U.S., now recommends that pregnant people get the COVID-19 vaccine.

This is a change from previous guidance that stopped short of actually recommending the shot, saying pregnant individuals were allowed to get the vaccine, if they wanted it.

COVID-19 infections put pregnant people at an increased risk of severe complications and death, but only 22% of those who are pregnant have received one or more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

ACOG also cited the rise of the highly transmissible Delta variant as part of the reasoning for the update in guidance.

“Pregnant individuals who have decided to wait until after delivery to be vaccinated may be inadvertently exposing themselves to an increased risk of severe illness or death,” the guidance reads. “Those who have recently delivered and were not vaccinated during pregnancy are also strongly encouraged to get vaccinated as soon as possible.”

Now, the organization is encouraging its community of OB-GYNs to enthusiastically recommend vaccination to their patients.

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Experts Applaud the New Guidance

Wider calls the updated guidance “smart,” adding that, “studies have shown that COVID-19 and all of the circulating variants increase the risks of complications and potentially mortality to a pregnant woman and developing fetus.”

“I have people ask me about this all the time,”Christine Greves, MD,a board-certified OB-GYN at the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies in Orlando, Florida, tells Verywell. “Originally, we didn’t know much about the vaccine in pregnant patients. We’re still learning. However, we know that if you don’t get the vaccine, there’s a higher risk of severe complications from COVID-19 as opposed to getting the vaccine.”

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Greves urges pregnant people on the fence about the vaccine to consider the risks of remaining unvaccinated. “If you get it and are not vaccinated, you have a risk of serious complications,” she says. “This is real.”

What This Means For You

The Research Backs This Up

While research on the effects of the COVID-19 vaccine on pregnant people is ongoing, several studies suggest the vaccine is safe for use in pregnant people.

ANew England Journal of Medicineanalysis published in June of 35,691 people in the V-Safe registry aged 16 to 54 years who said they were pregnant found that there were no “obvious safety signals among pregnant persons who received mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.”

CDC Data Highlights Likelihood of Severe COVID-19 During Pregnancy

Vaccination may benefit babies in the womb, too.

A study published in theAmerican Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecologyin March analyzed data from 131 women of reproductive age who were vaccinated, including 84 pregnant women, 31 breastfeeding women, and 16 non-pregnant women.

Researchers analyzed antibodies in the womens' blood and breast milk (if they were breastfeeding) at baseline and then two to six weeks after their second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

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The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.

4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID-19 Vaccines While Pregnant or Breastfeeding.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.ACOG and SMFM Recommend COVID-19 Vaccination for Pregnant Individuals.Shimabukuro T, Kim S, Myers T et al.Preliminary Findings of mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine Safety in Pregnant Persons.New England Journal of Medicine. 2021;384(24):2273-2282. doi:10.1056/nejmoa2104983Gray K, Bordt E, Atyeo C et al.Coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine response in pregnant and lactating women: a cohort study.Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2021. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2021.03.023

4 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID-19 Vaccines While Pregnant or Breastfeeding.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.ACOG and SMFM Recommend COVID-19 Vaccination for Pregnant Individuals.Shimabukuro T, Kim S, Myers T et al.Preliminary Findings of mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine Safety in Pregnant Persons.New England Journal of Medicine. 2021;384(24):2273-2282. doi:10.1056/nejmoa2104983Gray K, Bordt E, Atyeo C et al.Coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine response in pregnant and lactating women: a cohort study.Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2021. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2021.03.023

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID-19 Vaccines While Pregnant or Breastfeeding.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.ACOG and SMFM Recommend COVID-19 Vaccination for Pregnant Individuals.Shimabukuro T, Kim S, Myers T et al.Preliminary Findings of mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine Safety in Pregnant Persons.New England Journal of Medicine. 2021;384(24):2273-2282. doi:10.1056/nejmoa2104983Gray K, Bordt E, Atyeo C et al.Coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine response in pregnant and lactating women: a cohort study.Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2021. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2021.03.023

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID-19 Vaccines While Pregnant or Breastfeeding.

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.ACOG and SMFM Recommend COVID-19 Vaccination for Pregnant Individuals.

Shimabukuro T, Kim S, Myers T et al.Preliminary Findings of mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine Safety in Pregnant Persons.New England Journal of Medicine. 2021;384(24):2273-2282. doi:10.1056/nejmoa2104983

Gray K, Bordt E, Atyeo C et al.Coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine response in pregnant and lactating women: a cohort study.Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2021. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2021.03.023

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