Meta-Analysis: COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy Is Safe and Beneficial for Mother and Infant
COVID-19 vaccination is associated with better neonatal outcomes without added maternal risk, according to research presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2025 National Conference & Exhibition
DENVER — An analysis of data from over 1.2 million pregnant individuals found that those who received a COVID-19 vaccination had a 58 percent lower risk of being infected with the virus, as well as a lower risk of experiencing a stillbirth or preterm birth, according to research presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2025 National Conference & Exhibition at the Colorado Convention Center from September 26–30.
For the study, “Safety and Efficacy of Maternal COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy: Umbrella Review & Meta-Analyses,” the author conducted a systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase from January 1, 2021, to September 13, 2023. This included 23 meta-analyses inclusive of over 200 studies and 1,250,000 pregnant individuals with documented COVID-19 vaccination.
“We found that the COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy offers significant protections to newborns and mothers,” said Nikan Zargarzadeh, MD, study author and Harvard University research fellow. “This information can help support informed decision-making for pregnant individuals and their care teams.”
The review found those who received a COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy had an 8 percent lower risk of preterm birth before 37 weeks and a 34 percent lower risk of preterm birth before 28 weeks.
Vaccination was also associated with a 25 percent lower risk of stillbirth and a 9 percent lower risk of neonatal intensive care admission, as well as a 17 percent lower risk of congenital anomalies, according to the study abstract.
There were no increased risks observed for maternal hospitalization, intensive care admission, gestational diabetes, hypertension, or pre-eclampsia.
The authors did not receive financial support for this research.
Zargarzadeh is scheduled to present her research on Saturday, September 27, 2025 from 3:45 p.m. to 3:55 p.m. in the Colorado Convention Center, Mile High Ballroom 2A-3A. In addition, Zargarzadeh will be among highlighted abstract authors who will give a brief presentation and be available for interviews during a press conference from 12 p.m. to 1:30 pm Saturday, September 27 in the National Conference Press Room, CCC 705/707.