New data shows COVID-19 vaccines not linked to increased risk of miscarriage

(FOX 9) - New data shows COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are not linked to increased risk of miscarriage for pregnant women, HealthPartners announced Wednesday. 

A study led by the HealthPartners Institute and recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found mRNA vaccines administered during pregnancy did not increase the risk of miscarriage. The research adds to existing data that suggest COVID-19 vaccines are safe for people who are pregnant, HealthPartners said in a news release. 

Researchers analyzed data from approximately 105,000 patients who were early in their pregnancies. They compared the odds of having received a COVID-19 vaccine in the 28 days prior to miscarriage to the odds of having received a COVID-19 vaccine in the 28 days prior to pregnancy that did not end in miscarriage across similar gestational ages.

They found that after adjusting for maternal age and other important risk factors, the proportion of miscarriages to ongoing pregnancies among those who were vaccinated was nearly identical to the proportion of miscarriages to ongoing pregnancies among those who were unvaccinated, which suggests that vaccines had no impact the miscarriages, according to the news release. 

The pregnancy data came from HealthPartners and eight other large health systems. It was gathered between December 15, 2020 and June 28, 2020. 

Earlier research published in JAMA showed that COVID-19 vaccines prompt a strong immune response in people who are pregnant, and likely provide protective benefits to babies as well. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other leading medical groups now recommend that people who are pregnant get vaccinated against COVID-19.