US health authorities have urged pregnant women to get vaccinated against COVID-19, stating that available data shows vaccines do not increase the risk of miscarriage. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said the health agency "encourages all pregnant women, those considering pregnancy, and breastfeeding women to get vaccinated to protect themselves from COVID-19."
She added, "Vaccines are safe and effective, and there has never been a more urgent need to increase vaccination rates than now as we face the highly contagious Delta variant, and we are seeing severe COVID-19 outcomes among unvaccinated pregnant women."
According to a recent study, at least one in four pregnant women received their first dose of the vaccine.
**No Increased Risk of Miscarriage**
The CDC reported that an analysis of recent data found no increased risk of miscarriage among approximately 2,500 pregnant women who received an mRNA vaccine, which includes those made by Pfizer and Moderna, before about 20 weeks of pregnancy.
It noted that the miscarriage rate among vaccinated pregnant women was 13%, which is about the same percentage of miscarriages among pregnant women in general, ranging from 11% to 16%.
The CDC confirmed that "the benefits of pregnant women receiving the COVID-19 vaccine outweigh any known or potential risks." It added, "the increased risk of severe symptoms among pregnant women and complications in pregnancy associated with COVID-19 makes vaccination for this group more urgent than ever."
