New Delhi, January 30: The COVID-19 vaccination drive in India began on January 16. Several frontline workers have been vaccinated. Amid the immunisation programme, the gynaecologists and fertility experts have advised women on delaying their pregnancy plans for at least two months after getting the vaccinated against coronavirus. The centre has earlier clearly stated in its guidelines that pregnant and lactating women should not take the vaccine.

“While vaccine developers are not saying that people should postpone pregnancy, including through IVF, we are urging women to wait two months after taking the jab to get pregnant,” renowned gynaecologist from BirthRight by Rainbow Children’s Hospitals, Dr Suman Singh, told the New Indian Express. Covaxin Fact Sheet: Bharat Biotech Releases Advisory Warning People With Medical Conditions, Pregnant Women To Avoid Vaccine Shot, Check Full Advisory Here. 

She added, “A decision on whether to use the vaccine in pregnant women should be made in close consultation with a healthcare professional after considering the benefits and risks. Hence, ESHRE recommends monitoring the outcomes of ART and compare them in vaccinated versus unvaccinated patients.”

According to the doctors, the spike protein created by COVID-19 vaccine in the body is not similar enough to syncitin-1, the protein involved in placental development, therefore it might launch an immune response on syncitin-1 endangering mothers' ability to carry a womb to term. COVID-19 Vaccines Risk: Pregnant Women in Australia Warned of Coronavirus Vaccines, Wait Until More Data; Advised RANZCOG.

Experts believe since both the vaccines used in India, Covisheiled and Covaxin use inactive or dead virus , it is inadvisable to be taken by pregnant women. There has not been enough data on long term impacts from COVID-19 vaccine on pregnant women and the baby, hence it is been urged to avoid taking the shot.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 30, 2021 12:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).