Is it wise to get vaccinated with a corona vaccine if you are pregnant?
“Yes, that is sensible. We know that the vaccination is safe for pregnant women and that there are no serious side effects in the short term. We therefore advise all pregnant women to come and get a shot.”
But that wasn’t the case before, was it?
“When the vaccination policy started last year, we still didn’t know much,” says Schoenmakers. “We were a bit hesitant and wondered what the risk was for the unborn child in the abdomen. At that time, pregnant women were also advised not to be vaccinated yet,” says Schoenmakers. Only pregnant women who had so-called underlying suffering, for example an illness or a condition, were told to get an injection.
“But we now know a lot more. In America, women who were pregnant did receive a vaccine. They were considered a high-risk group there. People who were vulnerable if they were infected with the corona virus.”
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“Because the Americans have vaccinated pregnant women, we know that there are no adverse effects. Mothers and children do not get sick from the vaccine, there are no complications and children are also not more often born still. We are now more than 90,000 vaccinated pregnant women further , all of whom have received the vaccine from Pfizer or Moderna.”
“And we now know that women who are pregnant have a three times higher chance of ending up in intensive care because of corona and having to use a ventilator than women from the same age group who are not pregnant. In addition, they have a 1.7 times higher risk of death compared to non-pregnant women of the same age.”
Schoenmakers emphasizes that it is in any case rare that women in this age group end up in intensive care. “The chance of ending up in ICU as a young woman is very small.”
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Who will end up in intensive care?
“We see that pregnant women with a high BMI and with a non-Western background more often end up in intensive care with corona. We don’t know why that is, but they run the highest risk.”
Which vaccine is best to take when pregnant?
“Pregnant women receive an mRNA vaccine. It is therefore always Pfizer or Moderna. It has been found that those vaccines work well. Those other vaccines can also do well, but we know more about these vaccines in connection with pregnancy.”
When is the best time to get vaccinated while pregnant?
“We advise pregnant women to take the corona vaccine, but also to be vaccinated with the vaccine against whooping cough. Then the baby is well protected against whooping cough at birth. That shot is usually advised around the 22nd week of pregnancy, with the aim of two weeks of immune building before a possible birth of the child. That can sometimes happen as early as 24 weeks. Then it is good that the child is protected.”
“What is important is to leave two weeks between the vaccine against corona and the vaccine against whooping cough. It does not matter exactly which of the two is put first.”
Can you be vaccinated if you are breastfeeding?
“Yes, that is possible without any problems. The chance that the vaccine that is put in the upper arm ends up in the breast milk is small. But if it does happen, that is also good because then the child will also receive some antibodies against corona. And then it’s also better protected.”
And if you want to get pregnant, is it smart to take the vaccine?
“Yes, there is no indication that the vaccine reduces the chance that you will become pregnant. It also has no effect on your fertility. The chance of infertility does not increase with a shot. The vaccine also does nothing with the embryo.”
Schoenmakers emphasizes that people who are pregnant, or want to become pregnant, and who have questions about the vaccine, should always contact their obstetrician or gynaecologist. “If in doubt, call.”
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