Yasmina Kattou and Jean-Luc Boujon, edited by Clément Perruche
Pregnant women are classified among the populations at risk. Those who are not vaccinated also risk hospitalization in intensive care or premature birth of their child. Vaccination with messenger RNA is strongly recommended and safe for mother and baby, according to a study from hospitals in Paris.
Pregnant women are a population at risk for the coronavirus. Unvaccinated and contaminated future mothers risk hospitalization in intensive care or a premature birth, according to a study carried out by Paris hospitals published at the end of 2021. Since the beginning of December, 30 pregnant women have been hospitalized at the Grenoble University Hospital. . However, out of these 30 women, none was vaccinated, and the situation remains alarming. Many women, not especially antivax, fear that the vaccine will have an adverse effect on the health of their unborn baby.
However, according to the latest data, there is no risk for the pregnant woman or the fetus to be vaccinated. According to the pharmacovigilance survey of the National Medicines Agency, there are no side effects to report. It is safe for women to receive messenger RNA vaccines like Pfizer or Moderna early in pregnancy, and this reduces their chances of ending up in intensive care units in hospitals.
No danger for the baby
“The messenger RNA found in the vaccine does not cross the barrier of the placenta. So the baby does not receive the vaccine by itself. On the other hand, the antibodies developed by the mother following the vaccination do cross the barrier of the placenta. placenta So the baby only benefits from the antibodies following the vaccination “, explains Paul Guerby, gynecologist and head of the maternity ward at Toulouse University Hospital.
In addition to protection during pregnancy for mother and child, the antibodies will persist for the first weeks of the baby’s life. The protection will be even stronger if the mother is breastfeeding.