Recommendations during and after pregnancy
The 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccination recommendations were updated for people ages 6 months and older. They are now based on individual decision making, which emphasizes considering the benefits and risks of vaccination. COVID-19 vaccination offers the greatest benefit if you are at higher risk for severe illness, including if you are pregnant.
Pregnancy increases your risk of severe COVID-19 disease.1234 For example, if you are pregnant or were recently pregnant, you are:
More likely to get very sick from COVID-19 compared to those who are not pregnant.
More likely to need hospitalization, intensive care, or special equipment like a ventilator to help you breathe if you do get sick from COVID-19. Severe COVID-19 illness can lead to death.
More likely to have complications that can affect your pregnancy and baby, including preterm birth or stillbirth.
If you would like to speak to someone about a COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy, you can talk to your healthcare provider. You can also contact MotherToBaby, whose experts can answer questions in English or Spanish. This service is free and confidential.
To reach MotherToBaby:
● Call: 1-866-626-6847
● Text: 1-855-999-3525 (standard messaging rates may apply)
What we’ve learned about COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy
Studies examining COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy have included more than a million pregnant women around the world.5 In these studies, COVID-19 vaccination before and during pregnancy did not increase health risks for pregnant women or their babies. In addition, studies have also shown that COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy provides protection to both the pregnant woman and the baby. The benefits of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine outweigh potential risks of vaccination during pregnancy. Data show:
More than a million pregnant women around the world have received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, before and during pregnancy. Studies have shown no increased risk for complications like miscarriage, preterm delivery, stillbirth, or birth defects.678910111213
mRNA COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy reduce the risk of severe illness and other health effects from COVID-19. COVID-19 vaccination might help prevent stillbirths and preterm delivery.67141511
COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy builds antibodies that can help protect the baby.1516
Receiving mRNA COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy can help protect babies younger than age 6 months from hospitalization due to COVID-19. 1718192021
Most babies hospitalized with COVID-19 were born to pregnant women who were not vaccinated during pregnancy.171819
Recommendations if you are breastfeeding
The 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine recommendations have been updated for people ages 6 months and older, including women who are breastfeeding a baby. They are based on individual decision making, which emphasizes considering benefits and risks of vaccination. COVID-19 vaccination offers the greatest benefit if you are at higher risk for severe illness, including if you were recently pregnant.
There has been no evidence to suggest that COVID-19 vaccines are harmful to either women who have received a vaccine and are breastfeeding or to their babies.222324 Available data on the safety of COVID-19 vaccination while breastfeeding indicate no severe reactions after vaccination in the breastfeeding mother or the breastfed child.2523
Studies have shown that mothers who are breastfeeding a baby and have received mRNA COVID-19 vaccines have antibodies in their breast milk that could help protect their babies.252224
Possible side effects
Side effects (such as headache, pain at the injection site, and fever) reported by pregnant women after vaccination with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines) are similar to side effects reported by women who are not pregnant.67
Fever may be treated in consultation with a healthcare provider. Fever during pregnancy, for any reason, is associated with potential pregnancy complications.
A healthcare provider can help you weigh the risks of receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine versus the risks of severe COVID-19 disease.
Common questions
Scientific studies to date have shown no safety concerns for babies born to mothers who were vaccinated against COVID-19 during pregnancy. Based on how these vaccines work in the body, experts believe they are unlikely to pose a risk for long-term health effects. CDC continues to monitor, analyze, and disseminate information from women vaccinated during all trimesters of pregnancy to better understand effects on pregnancy and babies.
You can receive a COVID-19 vaccine at any point in pregnancy. COVID-19 vaccination can protect you from getting very sick from COVID-19. Keeping yourself as healthy as possible during pregnancy is important for the health of your baby.
Children, teens, and adults, including pregnant women, may get a COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines, including a flu vaccine, at the same time.
Resources
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