New evidence shows COVID-19 shots do not raise miscarriage risk in pregnant women

Text messages. Anthony Fauci expressing early worries that COVID-19 vaccines might trigger miscarriages in the first trimester. Critics have circulated an 82% miscarriage statistic, which originates from a distorted analysis of an April 2021 New England Journal of Medicine study that could not calculate early-pregnancy risk due to missing follow-up for many participants.

Subsequent follow-up and larger CDC studies involving tens of thousands of pregnancies show miscarriage rates comparable to pre-pandemic levels of 10-20%, and no increase in preterm birth or stillbirth. The CDC now recommends vaccination for pregnant people, citing benefits such as antibody transfer to the infant and reduced infant hospitalizations. Nonetheless, former FDA vaccine chief Vinay Prasad argues that evidence on vaccine effects before 24 weeks remains limited and calls for shared decision-making with physicians. Additional research has examined short-term menstrual changes after vaccination, finding modest, temporary alterations that fade within two cycles.