EU regulator says mRNA shots safe during pregnancy

The EU’s medicines regulator has said that Covid-19 vaccines made using mRNA technology do not cause pregnancy complications or increase the risk that the recipient may experience adverse side effects.

In a statement on Tuesday, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said the latest studies into the safety and effectiveness of mRNA vaccines, those produced by Pfizer and BioNTech, as well as Moderna, provided positive results. 

The review, which was based on studies involving around 65,000 pregnancies at different stages, was carried out by the EMA’s Covid-19 task force.

“The review did not find any sign of an increased risk of pregnancy complications, miscarriages, preterm births or adverse effects in the unborn babies following mRNA Covid-19 vaccination,” the statement reads. 

The review also highlighted that mRNA vaccines are equally as effective at preventing serious disease and hospitalization from Covid-19 in pregnant mothers as they are in the wider population.

Any side effects recorded were also consistent with the overall vaccinated population, the EMA added.

“The benefits of receiving mRNA Covid-19 vaccines during pregnancy outweigh any possible risks for expectant mothers and unborn babies,” the agency said.

The EMA acknowledged that there were some limitations in the data, but said the results obtained across several studies were consistent.