tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Birth Defects Res
. 2025 May;117(5):e2474.
doi: 10.1002/bdr2.2474. COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy and Birth Defects: Results From the CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Pregnancy Registry, United States 2021-2022
Andrea J Sharma[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Jennita Reefhuis[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Lauren Head Zauche[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sabrina A Madni[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Janet D Cragan[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Cynthia A Moore[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], John F Nahabedian[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Christine K Olson[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]; CDC COVID‐19 Vaccine Pregnancy Registry team
Collaborators, Affiliations
Background: We calculated prevalences of birth defects among infants of participants in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) COVID-19 Vaccine Pregnancy Registry (C19VPR).
Methods: C19VPR enrolled women receiving COVID-19 vaccines ≤ 30 days before the last menstrual period or during pregnancy from December 2020 through June 2021. We included 19,931 participants with singleton pregnancies ending ≥ 20 weeks' gestation who did not report COVID-19 illness during pregnancy. Clinicians identified birth defects from participant-reported infant health information up to 4 months after birth. We compared C19VPR birth defect prevalences to published pre-pandemic estimates. For seven defects originating during embryogenesis (cleft lip with/without cleft palate, atrial septal defect, coarctation of the aorta, ventricular septal defect, esophageal atresia or stenosis, hypospadias, kidney agenesis/hypoplasia/dysplasia), we estimated prevalence ratios comparing those vaccinated < 14 weeks' to those vaccinated ≥ 14 weeks' gestation.
Results: Participants reported receiving Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines (59.0%), Moderna (38.2%), and Janssen (2.8%) vaccines. Most (65.2%) participants received their first COVID-19 vaccine after the first trimester. The prevalence of major birth defects was 3.8%. Among defects with comparator estimates available (n = 50), 35 were below or within expected ranges. C19VPR prevalences were higher than the comparator confidence interval for 15 defects; however, C19VPR confidence intervals included comparator estimates. Prevalences did not differ by the timing of vaccination for seven defects examined.
Conclusions: Birth defects prevalence estimates among infants born to women receiving COVID-19 vaccines during or just prior to pregnancy were generally similar to pre-pandemic estimates. While there was no strong evidence of associations between vaccination and specific defects, statistical power was low.
Keywords: COVID‐19 vaccination in pregnancy; birth defects; congenital anomalies; pregnancy; vaccination.
. 2025 May;117(5):e2474.
doi: 10.1002/bdr2.2474. COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy and Birth Defects: Results From the CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Pregnancy Registry, United States 2021-2022
Andrea J Sharma[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Jennita Reefhuis[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Lauren Head Zauche[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sabrina A Madni[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Janet D Cragan[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Cynthia A Moore[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], John F Nahabedian[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Christine K Olson[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]; CDC COVID‐19 Vaccine Pregnancy Registry team
Collaborators, Affiliations
- PMID: 40395208
- PMCID: PMC12093198
- DOI: 10.1002/bdr2.2474
Background: We calculated prevalences of birth defects among infants of participants in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) COVID-19 Vaccine Pregnancy Registry (C19VPR).
Methods: C19VPR enrolled women receiving COVID-19 vaccines ≤ 30 days before the last menstrual period or during pregnancy from December 2020 through June 2021. We included 19,931 participants with singleton pregnancies ending ≥ 20 weeks' gestation who did not report COVID-19 illness during pregnancy. Clinicians identified birth defects from participant-reported infant health information up to 4 months after birth. We compared C19VPR birth defect prevalences to published pre-pandemic estimates. For seven defects originating during embryogenesis (cleft lip with/without cleft palate, atrial septal defect, coarctation of the aorta, ventricular septal defect, esophageal atresia or stenosis, hypospadias, kidney agenesis/hypoplasia/dysplasia), we estimated prevalence ratios comparing those vaccinated < 14 weeks' to those vaccinated ≥ 14 weeks' gestation.
Results: Participants reported receiving Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines (59.0%), Moderna (38.2%), and Janssen (2.8%) vaccines. Most (65.2%) participants received their first COVID-19 vaccine after the first trimester. The prevalence of major birth defects was 3.8%. Among defects with comparator estimates available (n = 50), 35 were below or within expected ranges. C19VPR prevalences were higher than the comparator confidence interval for 15 defects; however, C19VPR confidence intervals included comparator estimates. Prevalences did not differ by the timing of vaccination for seven defects examined.
Conclusions: Birth defects prevalence estimates among infants born to women receiving COVID-19 vaccines during or just prior to pregnancy were generally similar to pre-pandemic estimates. While there was no strong evidence of associations between vaccination and specific defects, statistical power was low.
Keywords: COVID‐19 vaccination in pregnancy; birth defects; congenital anomalies; pregnancy; vaccination.