The COVID-19 booster shots are well tolerated by both pregnant and nursing women, a new study published September 8, 2022, in JAMA Network Open concluded.
The UW Medicine-led study with over 17,000 participants showed that “there were very few obstetric concerns after patients received the boosters,” noted lead author and UW Medicine OB-GYN Dr. Alisa Kachikis.
In addition, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued a practice advisory encouraging pregnant or lactating individuals to receive the latest COVID-19 booster, which has been modified to protect against the BA.4 and BA.5 variants. That booster became available last week.
Kachikis and her team collected data from a follow up survey which was sent out to just over 17,500 participants last October. These participants were part of an ongoing cohort survey to monitor the reaction of pregnant and lactating individuals to both the initial vaccine, and to, in this study, the booster shots.
Just over 97 percent of the cohort completed the follow-up survey on boosters. In this cohort group, 11 percent were pregnant; 60 percent were lactating and 27 percent were neither pregnant or lactating at the time of the survey. Most (82 percent) reported soreness at the injection site; with 68 percent reporting another symptom such as fatigue or fever.
Importantly, when it came to a COVID-19 booster or third dose, pregnant participants were significantly more likely to list their healthcare professional as an important source for information and to have received a recommendation to receive the booster. This suggests that clinicians may play a significant role in vaccine acceptance and as a source for vaccine information.
