THIS week the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), in conjunction with The Royal College of Midwives, UK Teratology Information Service (UKTIS) and MacDonald Obstetric Medicine Society, released an updated version of an information sheet and decision aid for pregnant women regarding the Covid-19 vaccinations.

Updated on July 20, the document highlights how all pregnant women in the UK over the age of 18 have now been offered the Covid-19 vaccination and states: "Vaccination is recommended in pregnancy, but the decision whether to have the vaccine is your choice."

It goes on to outline information to help those who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant to make an informed choice about whether to get the Covid-19 vaccine or not.

Under the heading, 'What are the benefits of the vaccination?', the document lists the following.

  • Covid-19 may be more dangerous in pregnancy.Studies have shown that hospital admission and severe illness are more common in pregnant women (compared to those not pregnant), especially those in the third trimester of pregnancy, and that stillbirth and pre-term birth is more likely (compared to pregnant women without Covid-19). Pregnant women with underlying medical conditions are at higher risk of severe illness.
  • Vaccination is effective in preventing Covid-19 infection.
  • You cannot get Covid-19 from vaccination. Covid-19 vaccines do not contain live coronavirus, or contain any additional ingredients that are harmful to pregnant women or their babies. Other non-live vaccines (Whooping Cough, Influenza) are safe for pregnant women and their unborn babies.

The document also considers 'What are the risks of the vaccination?', listing the following information.

  • The Covid-19 vaccines have not yet been tested specifically in pregnant women. Covid-19 vaccines have been given to large numbers of people to ensure they meet stringent standards of effectiveness and safety. Data from the United States, where more than 130,000 pregnant women have had a Covid-19 vaccine (using Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna vaccines), has not raised any safety concerns. Some 4,000 pregnant women in Scotland have received a Covid-19 vaccine, with no adverse effects recorded. Future studies in pregnancy will give more information on how effective the vaccine is in pregnancy, and on pregnancy outcomes after vaccination. There have not been any signals to suggest safety concerns so far.
  • Side effects from the vaccine are common. These do not affect pregnancy, but may include injection site reactions (sore arm), fatigue, headache, muscle pain, fever, chills and joint pain. Extremely rare but serious side effects involving thrombosis (blood clots) have been reported for the AstraZeneca vaccine, but this does not seem to be more likely in pregnant than in non-pregnant people. The Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna vaccines should be offered to pregnant women where available, as most of the safety monitoring data from the United States relates to these two vaccines.

The document also provides extra information and guidance to help a person who is pregnant make their decision. The full information sheet and decision aid is available at https://tinyurl.com/yyhv7edp.