Study: No link between increased risk of miscarriage and COVID-19 vaccines

A study led by HealthPartners Institute and published in the JAMA medical journal Wednesday shows no link between COVID-19 mRNA vaccines and an increase in miscarriages for pregnant people.

Researchers studied data from 105,000 pregnant patients in the early stage of their pregnancy, the most likely time when miscarriages occur. With adjusting for the person’s age and other risk factors, researchers say the portion of miscarriages in pregnant people vaccinated within 28 days was nearly the same as pregnant people who were not vaccinated for COVID-19.

"Our data adds to a growing body of research that should give pregnant people confidence to get vaccinated against COVID-19, if they haven’t already," said Elyse Kharbanda, MD, senior investigator at HealthPartners Institute and lead author on the study. "It’s especially important for pregnant people to protect themselves against the virus because COVID-19 infections may impact them more severely and lead to birth complications."

The data came from HealthPartners and eight other large health systems which collectively make up the Vaccine Safety Datalink. The CDC funds this network to study vaccines licensed for use in the United States. The data was gathered was from Dec. 15, 2020, to June 28, 2021.

The CDC and medical experts are recommending that all pregnant people get vaccinated. A previous study published in JAMA demonstrated that COVID-19 vaccines created a strong immune response in pregnant people, including benefits for the baby.