COVID-19 Vaccination for People Who Are Pregnant or Breastfeeding | COVID-19
Safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy
Studies including hundreds of thousands of people around the world show that COVID-19 vaccination before and during pregnancy is safe, effective, and beneficial to both the pregnant person and the baby. The benefits of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine outweigh any potential risks of vaccination during pregnancy. Data show:
- COVID-19 vaccines do not cause COVID-19, including in people who are pregnant or their babies. None of the COVID-19 vaccines contain live virus. They cannot make anyone sick with COVID-19, including people who are pregnant or their babies. Learn more about how vaccines work.
- It is safe to receive an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech), before and during pregnancy. Both vaccines show no increased risk for complications like miscarriage, preterm delivery, stillbirth, or birth defects12.
- mRNA COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy are effective. They reduce the risk of severe illness and other health effects from COVID-19 for people who are pregnant. COVID-19 vaccination might help prevent stillbirths and preterm delivery1234.
- COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy builds antibodies that can help protect the baby45.
- Receiving mRNA COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy can help protect babies younger than age 6 months from hospitalization due to COVID-19.
- Most babies hospitalized with COVID-19 were born to pregnant people who were not vaccinated during pregnancy678.
People who are breastfeeding a baby
CDC recommends that people who are breastfeeding a baby, and infants 6 months of age and older, get vaccinated and stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines.
Vaccines are safe and effective at preventing COVID-19 in people who are breastfeeding a baby. Available data on the safety of COVID-19 vaccination while breastfeeding indicate no severe reactions after vaccination in the breastfeeding person or the breastfed child.9 There has been no evidence to suggest that COVID-19 vaccines are harmful to either people who have received a vaccine and are breastfeeding or to their babies.10
Studies have shown that people who are breastfeeding a baby and have received mRNA COVID-19 vaccines have antibodies in their breast milk, which could help protect their babies.910
CDC also recommends COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 6 months and older.
Possible side effects
People who are pregnant have not reported different side effects from people who are not pregnant after vaccination with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines)12.
- Fever during pregnancy, for any reason, has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes.
- Fever in pregnancy may be treated with acetaminophen as needed, in moderation, and in consultation with a healthcare provider.
People who would like to have a baby
CDC recommends that people who are trying to get pregnant now or might become pregnant in the future, as well as their partners, stay up to date and get the updated COVID-19 vaccine. COVID-19 vaccines are not associated with fertility problems in women or men.
Vaccines Can Help You Stay Healthy
Visit vaccines.gov to learn how to protect yourself from COVID-19, flu, and RSV.
Common questions
Scientific studies to date have shown no safety concerns for babies born to people who were vaccinated against COVID-19 during pregnancy. Based on how these vaccines work in the body, experts believe they are unlikely to pose a risk for long-term health effects. CDC continues to monitor, analyze, and disseminate information from people vaccinated during all trimesters of pregnancy to better understand effects on pregnancy and babies.
CDC and professional medical organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, recommend COVID-19 vaccination at any point in pregnancy. COVID-19 vaccination can protect you from getting very sick from COVID-19. Keeping yourself as healthy as possible during pregnancy is important for the health of your baby.
Children, teens, and adults, including pregnant people, may get a COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines, including a flu vaccine, at the same time.
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