Pregnant Women Should Get The COVID-19 Vaccines, Says UAB Doctor
Pregnant women should get the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the chair of UAB’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Department.
During a press conference Wednesday, Dr. Warner Huh said the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks.
“The reason for it is that …. the risk of being hospitalized, including being in an ICU, being on a ventilator, and also dying is going to be higher than their non-pregnant counterparts,” Huh said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, the Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and the American Society of Reproductive Medicine have all issued recommendations that the vaccine is offered to pregnant women, women that are breastfeeding, and women who are planning to get pregnant, said to Huh.
But this comes after the World Health Organization recommended against pregnant women from getting the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine except in severe cases.
“This is a brand new area for us,” Huh said. “There’s still a lot we don’t know, and there’s ongoing studies looking at the pregnant population, but again on balance – we think the benefits greatly outweigh the risks.”
There’s been a lot of concern and questions about whether the vaccine causes infertility, he said.
“There’s really no compelling evidence that the vaccine would actually affect the women’s future fertility going forward,” said Huh.
Another misconception doctors are hearing is that the mRNA from the COVID-19 vaccine can get to the fetus.
“I think the likelihood of that is pretty small. Again, the mRNA is taken up by basically the local tissue, particularly the muscle in the arm [of the pregnant mother],” said Huh. “The mRNA is taken up relatively quickly. So I think the odds of the mRNA actually getting to the placenta, crossing the placenta, and then getting to the fetus is extremely small.”
Huh advises each pregnant woman to talk about their concerns with their doctor because, he said, ultimately, she should feel comfortable with her decision.
But getting the vaccine has proven more difficult than some originally thought. And it’s unclear when pregnant women will be able to get the vaccine because they aren’t specifically mentioned in the state’s vaccination plan. Alabama is still in the early stages of the vaccination process, but pregnant women should be prioritized, said Huh.
“It wouldn’t surprise me, whatsoever, that in the upcoming weeks, months, perhaps, that the prioritization of vaccine – particularly how where pregnant women fit actually gets revisited both by the CDC as well as, hopefully, the Alabama Department of Public Health,” he said.
Editor’s Note: UAB holds WBHM’s broadcast license, but our news and business departments operate independently.
From chess to a medical mystery: Great global reads from 2025 you may have missed
We published hundreds of stories on global health and development each year. Some are ... alas ... a bit underappreciated by readers. We've asked our staff for their favorite overlooked posts of 2025.
The U.S. offers Ukraine a 15-year security guarantee for now, Zelenskyy says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday the United States is offering his country security guarantees for a period of 15 years as part of a proposed peace plan.
Genre fiction and female authors top U.S. libraries’ most-borrowed lists in 2025
All of the top 10 books borrowed through the public library app Libby were written by women. And Kristin Hannah's The Women was the top checkout in many library systems around the country.
A ‘very aesthetic person,’ President Trump says being a builder is his second job
President Trump was a builder before he took office, but he has continued it as a hobby in the White House.
Teens are having disturbing interactions with chatbots. Here’s how to lower the risks
Teen use of AI chat bots is growing, and psychologists worry it's affecting their social development and mental health. Here's what parents should know to help kids use the technology safely.
Why do so many people ring in the new year on Jan. 1?
Much of the world follows the Gregorian calendar, named after Pope Gregory XIII, who put the finishing touches on a Roman system that integrated ideas from other cultures.
