Should pregnant women get vaccinated against COVID-19? [WE EXPLAIN]

Some pregnant women wonder if it is a good idea to vaccinate against COVID-19 in their condition. Some postpone administration of the preparation until the child is born. Rightly?

1. Research shows that maternal antibodies cross the placental barrier. They are also present in milk
2. This means that vaccinating the mother during pregnancy may also contribute to the development of immunity in the baby
3. Pregnant women should not be afraid of the COVID-19 vaccination
4. More information can be found on the Onet homepage.

Vaccination against COVID-19 in pregnancy. Antibodies pass the placental barrier

Polish doctors from the Provincial Specialist Hospital in Olsztyn recently provided evidence that the antibodies produced by the vaccinated woman cross the placental barrier. They are conducting research into the effects of COVID-19 vaccination on pregnant women and their children. The preliminary results of their work have just been published in the journal “Vaccines”. As one of the first in the world and the first in Poland, they proved the transplacental transmission of antibodies against the S antigen of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Thus, it should be concluded that the born infant gains protection against infection.

“Pregnant women are at increased risk of a severe course of COVID-19 infection. Vaccinating them reduces the risk of mums getting sick, but also increases the chance of avoiding many pregnancy complications in the course of this infection for the fetus. The study conducted in our center is assessing the effectiveness and safety of vaccination against COVID-19 during pregnancy »- explained Prof. Tomasz Waśniewski, head of the Clinical Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics.

He added that the study involved women who were voluntarily vaccinated during pregnancy. Qualification for the study takes place after vaccination. So far, over 180 pregnant women from all over Poland have been qualified for the study – all of them work in the health care system, most of them are doctors. Antibodies to COVID-19 were found in umbilical cord blood of all newborns born to vaccinated mothers.

«We confirm the possibility of immunizing children of patients vaccinated during pregnancy. We have proved that the week of pregnancy in which the vaccine is administered is the main factor influencing the transplacental transfer of vaccine antibodies »- emphasized Zdanowski.

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Researchers are currently analyzing the collected data. The point is that Polish scientists can contribute to determining the optimal time for administering the vaccine to pregnant women. The Polish study noticed that there is a certain correlation between the level of antibodies in the umbilical cord blood of the newborn and the date of administration of the vaccine to the mother: the earlier the vaccine was given before delivery, the higher the level of antibodies in the newborn was (however, it should be remembered that all pregnant women who took participation in the study, were vaccinated in the third trimester of pregnancy). At the same time, the researchers made a reservation in the study that antibodies were also recorded in the umbilical cord blood of a newborn whose mother had received a second dose of the vaccine just one week before delivery.

Doctors also point out that their work has limitations – primarily a small research group (although compared to other studies to date, it is one of the largest – ed. Serwis Zdrowie).

Earlier, as early as March, a study to suggest the transfer of COVID-19 immunity to the fetus and child from a vaccinated pregnant woman was conducted in Israel. Preliminary results of cohort studies conducted in the USA have also shown that antibodies generated in the body of women vaccinated with mRNA preparations penetrate the placenta into the body of the fetus, and that the breastfeeding mother passes them on to the baby also after delivery with milk.

When to get vaccinated during pregnancy?

– We already know that the disease is much more dangerous for both pregnant women and the course of pregnancy than vaccination. Pregnant women respond to vaccination in the same way as non-pregnant women. If an increased body temperature occurs, it is short-lived and does not require any special action – usually it is enough to take paracetamol then – says gynecologist and obstetrician Prof. Mirosław Wielgoś, rector of the Medical University of Warsaw in 2016-2020.

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Therefore, she encourages all her patients and all pregnant women to go to the vaccination center and to clarify any doubts with their attending physician.

– Remember that getting vaccinated during pregnancy gives your baby immunity to COVID-19, which he or she will not otherwise get, at least for now, because young children are not vaccinated at present. And probably there will be no such registration for a long time – he emphasizes.

The doctor notes that, of course, at this stage, there are no hard guidelines as to when exactly when it is best to get the COVID-19 vaccine. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t many reasons for “soft” tips.

Experiments with other vaccines, knowledge about the development of pregnancy, and animal experiments come to the rescue here.

– The current expert recommendations are the result of extreme caution, which requires that the vaccine should be administered after the 1st trimester, although there are also supporters of vaccination during this trimester, but after the end of the 8th week of pregnancy; then the organogenesis process is completed – says prof. Many.

However, she adds not to panic if the woman got vaccinated earlier.

– There is also evidence that vaccination in the first trimester did not have any negative effects, on the contrary – he explains.

She urges us not to give in to the fear of thrombotic complications after vaccination.

– There is no doubt that the risk of a blood clot in COVID-19 is definitely – I emphasize – much higher than after vaccination. Post-vaccination thrombotic complications are, in my opinion, demonized, and at the same time it is forgotten that the disease causes thrombotic changes in a significant percentage of patients, and in some very advanced ones – she emphasizes.

Which vaccine is better in pregnancy?

The specialist believes that, first of all, the one that is available faster.

– Admittedly, more vaccinations in the pregnant population have been performed with mRNA vaccines and there is already a substantial body of knowledge about the effects of these specific vaccines on future mothers. However, let’s not forget that the second large group of pregnant women who have received the COVID-19 vaccine are those, primarily from the US, who have been vaccinated with vector vaccines. Therefore, when the patient asks me which vaccine to get vaccinated, I answer that generally the one that will be available – she explains.

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In his opinion, it is better not to wait for weeks for the mRNA vaccine if vector is available, because infection can occur during this time.

– Then a pregnant woman has a much worse situation, because she will struggle with the disease, and perhaps also with its consequences – she says.

He adds that many women thank him on social media for the factual presentation of the arguments that prompted them to vaccinate.

– They write that they feel safer now, and at the same time there was nothing to fear in connection with the vaccination – he adds.

Prof. Wielgoś also reminds pregnant women not to forget about the two vaccinations recommended during pregnancy: against influenza and against whooping cough.

– If we vaccinate a pregnant woman against whooping cough in the third trimester, we have in mind that her child will gain the so-called passive immunity, i.e. it will be equipped with antibodies against this disease, which will be produced by the mother and which will pass the placental barrier, she explains.

The whooping cough vaccine is compulsory for babies, but can be given in the second month of life (then the baby gets booster doses). At the same time, whooping cough sticks are common pathogens in the environment and while healthy adults do not do much harm (most often they get sick in such a way that they do not suffer complications), whooping cough can be a fatal disease for infants and young children.

Having flu during pregnancy increases the risk of a complicated course of pregnancy – premature delivery, low birth weight, and pregnancy failure.

Justyna Wojteczek, Zdrowie.pap.pl

Also read:

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2. Prof. Marczyńska: we shouldn’t go back to the lockdown anymore, we have to try to live normally
3. “The fourth wave in Europe is already underway”. What is happening in countries crowded with tourists?
4. Why does Israel need to fight the coronavirus again?
5. Lambda variant. How does it differ from other variants? “An unusual combination” of mutations

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