COVID-19 Vaccine On Pregnant Women Does Not Damage The Placenta In : Study

COVID-19 Vaccine On Pregnant Women : According to a new study done on pregnant women who received the COVID-19 vaccine published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, no evidence of injury in the placenta was found.

The finding of the study is an addition to a growing literature about how COVID-19 vaccines are safe to use on pregnant women.

The authors of the study have said that according to their knowledge, it was the first study to have examined the impact of the COVID-19 vaccines on the placenta of pregnant women, which is a key organ in pregnancy.

In the study, placentas were collected from 84 patients who were vaccinated with either Moderna or Pfizer during their third trimester and 116 unvaccinated patients who had delivered their babies. The placentas were pathologically examined both complete and on the microscopic level.

The placenta is the first organ that is formed during pregnancy and supports the foetus by performing all the activities of its organs while they are still forming. It performs duties like providing oxygen to the foetus's body while the lungs have not developed and provide nutrition while the gut is still forming.

Other than providing oxygen and nutrition, it also manages hormones and the immune system of the foetus which late on plays an important part during birth as it tells the body of the mother to nurture the foetus rather than reject it as a foreign intruder.

Dr Jeffery Goldstein, who is a corresponding author in the study and an assistant professor of pathology at Northwestern University has said that the placenta is just like the black box of an aeroplane which can help doctors figure out if something goes wrong with a pregnancy. He adds that the COVID-19 vaccine does not damage the placenta.

According to India's vaccination protocols, pregnant and lactating women are advised to not take the vaccine but countries like Brazil and the US does not stop such women from taking the vaccine. The safety of COVID-19 vaccines given to pregnant women is still a subject of study.

In another study, which was published in the American Journal of Clinical Pathology in May 2020 it has been found that a pregnant woman who was tested for SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus showed evidence of placental injury, i.e. an abnormal blood flow between the mother and baby in the uterus have been seen.

Then scientists published a study in April this year in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology which show that pregnant women who are vaccinated make COVID antibodies and successfully transfer them to their foetuses, and the only way for the infants to get antibodies for the disease is through their mother.