No increase in birth defects found following COVID vaccination in pregnancy

A new study adds to the growing body of literature demonstrating the safety of COVID-19 vaccine use in pregnant women. The study, published in BMJ, showed no connection between COVID vaccination or infection in the first trimester of pregnancy and congenital birth defects. The study is based on outcomes seen among 343,066 live-born single infants in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway with an estimated first trimester of pregnancy occurring from March 1, 2020, to February 14, 2022. The infants were followed up for at least 9 months after birth. In the entire cohort, 17,704 infants (5.2%) had a major congenital anomaly, or 516 per 10,000 live births. Congenital anomalies included congenital heart defects; nervous system anomalies; eye anomalies; ear, face and neck anomalies; respiratory anomalies; oro-facial clefts; gastrointestinal anomalies; abdominal-wall defects; congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract; genital anomalies; and limb anomalies. No observed risk for COVID-19 infections A total of 10,229 infants...