Effects of Covid-19 Vaccination during Pregnancy on the Obstetric and Neonatal Outcomes in a Tertiary Health Care Center
, , , , and | Jul 06, 2023
Article Category: Original research
Published Online: Jul 06, 2023
Page range: 72 - 78
Received: Aug 03, 2022
Accepted: Jan 12, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.34763/jmotherandchild.20232701.d-22-00043
Keywords
© 2023 Gargee Suman Tripathy et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Background
Pregnancy is an immuno-compromised state, and pregnant women with COVID-19 are at an increased risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Thus, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization (ACIP) have advocated for COVID-19 vaccination in pregnant women. COVAXIN and COVISHIELD were the vaccines being used in India in the first phase of vaccination, but limited data exist on pregnancy outcomes regarding SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and pregnancy and lactation.
Material and methods
A retrospective study was conducted which included only women who delivered after 24 weeks gestation. Women with an unknown vaccination status or with past or active COVID-19 infection were excluded. Demographic characteristics, maternal and obstetric outcomes, and fetal and neonatal outcomes were compared between the unvaccinated and vaccinated groups. Statistical analysis was done with Chi-square testing and the Fisher exact test using SPSS-26 software.
Results
Deliveries before a gestation of 37 weeks were significantly higher in the unvaccinated group compared to the vaccinated group. Rates of vaginal deliveries and preterm deliveries were found to be higher in the unvaccinated population. Women who had taken COVAXIN had a higher rate of adverse events compared to those who had taken COVISHIELD.
Conclusion
There were no significant differences in adverse obstetric outcomes attributed to vaccine administration between the vaccinated and unvaccinated pregnant women. The beneficial effects of the vaccines in protecting against COVID-19 infection, particularly in pregnancy, outweigh the minor adverse events associated with vaccine administration.