Vaccination Against COVID-19 Disease During Pregnancy

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Immunology
• Public Health

Background:

• Pregnant women with COVID-19 face increased risks of severe illness and complications.
• Risk factors for severe COVID-19 in pregnancy include advanced maternal age, obesity, comorbidities, and unvaccinated status.
• Major obstetric societies recommend COVID-19 vaccination for all pregnant individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze demographic characteristics of pregnant women vaccinated against COVID-19 in Lithuania.
• To investigate adverse reactions following COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy.
• To compare findings with existing scientific literature on vaccine safety in pregnancy.

Main Methods:

• An online questionnaire was distributed to pregnant women in Lithuania vaccinated before delivery.
• Data were collected using Google Forms and analyzed with Microsoft Excel and IBM SPSS Statistics.
• A literature review was conducted on PubMed and Google Scholar (2019-2021) using keywords: pregnancy, COVID-19, vaccination, side effects.

Main Results:

• 227 pregnant women were vaccinated; Pfizer-BioNTech was most common (86%).
• Fever and injection site pain were common side effects, more frequent after the second dose.
• Fatigue and inability to perform daily activities were also reported more after the second dose.

Conclusions:

• COVID-19 vaccination in pregnant individuals showed no significant safety signals.
• Reported side effects were comparable to those in the general population.
• No specific post-vaccination reactions were observed in pregnant individuals.