Covid19 vaccines roll out began in mid December 2020, with the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines as the first widely available shots. However these vaccines use the mRNA technology for which there is virtually no data – and will likely not be available for months – as to how they might affect pregnant women and their babies. There is also a widespread confusion amongst women who are breastfeeding and are trying to conceive. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says “People who are pregnant and part of a group recommended to receive the COVID-19 vaccine may choose to be vaccinated.” Although many pregnant women have taken the vaccine so far with a leap of faith, the dilemma persists. 

We are talking to reproductive endocrinologist & virologist Dr Cindy Duke of Nevada Fertility Institute to get answers to common questions and clear the air around myths related to use of COVID19 vaccines in women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to conceive naturally/via ART, and dig deeper into why the CDC quotes “they are unlikely to pose a significant risk for people who are pregnant.”