The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines do not seem to extenda serious risk during pregnancy, suggests a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The study, in addition to the existing evidence suggesting that mRNA vaccines are effective in pregnant and lactating women, indicates that the benefits of the vaccines outweigh the risks.

Investigators looked at a group within the CDC’s V-safe system and obtained data on pregnancy outcomes and complications. The registry included 3,958 pregnant women, out of a total of 35,691, who had been administered an mRNA vaccine. There were 827 completed pregnancies, of which 115 (13.9%) experienced a pregnancy loss, and 712 (86.1%) resulted in a live birth. Preterm births were noted in 9.4% of the study participants and about 3.2% of these births were small for gestational age. No neonatal deaths were noted. In all, 221 pregnancy-related adverse events were reported to the CDCs VAERS registry; 46 of these were miscarriages. The proportions of adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes in vaccinated participants having a completed pregnancy appeared to be similar to those reported in studies among pregnant women carried outprior to the pandemic… (CNN, April 22, 2021)