RNA vaccines against Covid without risk of birth defects for the fetus

Vaccination against Covid-19 with mRNA in women during the first trimester of pregnancy does not pose any risk of malformation in the fetus, concludes a large-scale epidemiological survey The study, conducted in France by a team from the National Agency for Medicines and Health Products (ANSM), found that several vaccines are contraindicated in pregnant women, particularly those against rubella and chickenpox, because they use attenuated viruses that can also infect the child.

The pregnant woman, more vulnerable to infections and their severe forms

In the case of Covid-19, the mRNA vaccine targets only a specific part of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the disease. Vaccination against Covid-19 is recommended for pregnant women, as are vaccinations against influenza, pertussis (whooping cough), and bronchiolitis, because they are more vulnerable to infections and their severe forms, their immune system being suppressed due to the presence of their child. in uteroResearchers studied more than 130,000 women vaccinated in the first trimester of their pregnancy in 2021 using data from the EPI-MERE national mother-child birth registry.

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A French study that confirms the results of previous surveys

Monitoring their child over several years showed that they did not have more major congenital malformations in 75 organs than unexposed children. in utero to the mRNA of the vaccine. The proportion of stillborn children was also no higher. This vaccination is all the more necessary given that infection of pregnant women with the Covid-19 virus, even with the latest Omicron variant, increases the risks of premature birth and, for the mother, of serious complications, respiratory support, and admission to intensive care, according to a recent Quebec studyThe French study, unprecedented in its scope, confirms the results of previous, more limited surveys and can provide reassurance about the safety of mRNA vaccines against Covid-19, the only ones recommended for pregnant women.