Experts clear the air on Covid-19 vaccine and its impact on women‘s health

With Covid19 vaccines being made available to a wider section of the population concerns about whether the jab can be administered to pregnant and lactating women are coming to the fore Dr Veena Aurangabadwala a gynaecologist at Zen Hospital reveals that at present there is no clarity from the Government of India ldquoNeither Covaxin nor Covishield have been tested on pregnant and lactating womenrdquo she explainsDr Vaishali JoshildquoLive attenuated vaccines such as the Rubella or HPV vaccines are not administered during pregnancies However other vaccines such as the influenza or Tdap vaccines are recommended during pregnancy as they protect mothers and their newborn by producing antibodies The available Covid19 vaccines used so far are not live attenuated vaccines So apart from theoretical risks they are safe for use during pregnancyrdquo clarifies Dr Vaishali Joshi a senior gynaecologist at Kokilaben Ambani Hospital She adds that while the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued a contraindication for pregnant and lactating women recent data from the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines which are mRNA vaccines in pregnant mothers have shown no adverse effects on the foetus and pregnancy in the USIn the UK the Astrazaneca vaccine which is similar to Covishield has been supported by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists London for use during pregnancy and lactation Internationally and nationally all bodies representing womenrsquos health are supporting vaccines for pregnant and breastfeeding mothersAt present pregnant and lactating women can opt to have themselves vaccinated voluntarily says Dr Bhavini Shah Balakrishnan a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Masina Hospital ldquoIf they opt for a vaccine they should avail counselling from a medical practitioner to make an informed decision about potential risksrdquo she says Dr Joshi adds that in case of women who have tested positive for Covid19 the vaccine should be taken four to eight weeks after recovery Further in areas where the prevalence of the second wave is high two doses of the vaccine should be preferably taken before the third trimester as the risk of serious illness need for ICU admission and mortality increases significantly in Covid19 positive pregnant women in this trimesterDr Veena AurangabadwalaOther vaccinations should be given after an interval of 14 days The most common reaction to the vaccine is fever for which they can safely take paracetamol Women planning their fertility treatments should complete both vaccine doses before beginning treatment Dr Joshi says All experts insist that there is no correlation between the day of the vaccination and menstrual cycles Dr Harish Chafle consultant of pulmonary and critical care at Global Hospital says that as per the CDC there is no evidence that the Covid19 vaccine causes fertility problems There is also no need to avoid pregnancy after receiving a vaccine