Did the New England Journal of Medicine backtrack and admit the COVID-19 vaccine may not be safe for pregnant women? No, that's not true: An update posted by the Journal did not change the number of pregnancies a study found resulted in a spontaneous abortion after receiving the COVID vaccine; the number remained the same from the study published in July 2021. The correction did not say that the vaccine may not be safe for pregnant women and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told Lead Stories advance papers about two new studies "found no increased risk of miscarriage among pregnant women who received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine just before or during pregnancy."
The claims about the New England Journal of Medicine appeared in a September 20, 2021, Gateway Pundit article titled "What? New England Journal of Medicine Backtracks - Now Admits COVID Vax May Not Be Safe for Pregnant Women" (archived here), which opened:
The esteemed New England Journal of Medicine posted a correction last week and now admits the COVID vaccine may not be safe for pregnant women. The study was updated after it found that 104 of 827 pregnant participants experienced a spontaneous abortion after receiving the COVID vaccine. That is roughly 1 of 8 pregnant women...
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What? New England Journal of Medicine Backtracks - Now Admits COVID Vax May Not Be Safe for Pregnant Women
The esteemed New England Journal of Medicine posted a correction last week and now admits the COVID vaccine may not be safe for pregnant women. The study was updated after it found that 104 of 827 pregnant participants experienced a spontaneous abortion after receiving the COVID vaccine. That is roughly 1 of 8 pregnant women...
- 'The esteemed New England Journal of Medicine posted a correction last week and now admits the COVID vaccine may not be safe for pregnant women.'
- 'The study was updated after it found that 104 of 827 pregnant participants experienced a spontaneous abortion after receiving the COVID vaccine. That is roughly 1 of 8 pregnant women losing their baby after getting the vaccine.'
Claim 1: Journal "admits" vaccine may not be safe for pregnant women
False: Nowhere in the update does the New England Journal of Medicine say the vaccine is unsafe for pregnant women.
Claim 2: Journal updated study after finding elevated numbers of spontaneous abortion in vaccinated women
False: The pertinent section of the New England Journal of Medicine's update reads: "In the fifth paragraph of this editorial (page 2342), the first sentence should have read, "Among 827 registry participants who reported a completed pregnancy, 104 experienced spontaneous abortions and 1 had a stillbirth," rather than "... a completed pregnancy, the pregnancy resulted in a spontaneous abortion in 104 (12.6%) and in stillbirth in 1 (0.1%); these percentages are well within the range expected as an outcome for this age group of persons whose other underlying medical conditions are unknown."
At the time of publication of preliminary findings in the Original Article related to this editorial, the number of spontaneous abortions was 104 and there was 1 stillbirth. However, no proportion could be determined for the risk of spontaneous abortion among participants vaccinated before 20 weeks of gestation because follow-up information was not yet available for the majority of those persons. The article has now been updated. In the fifth paragraph of this editorial (page 2342), the first sentence should have read, 'Among 827 registry participants who reported a completed pregnancy, 104 experienced spontaneous abortions and 1 had a stillbirth,' rather than, '...a completed pregnancy, the pregnancy resulted in a spontaneous abortion in 104 (12.6%) and in stillbirth in 1 (0.1%); these percentages are well within the range expected as an outcome for this age group of persons whose other underlying medical conditions are unknown.'
Growing evidence continues to demonstrate that the benefits of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine outweigh known or potential risks. Two additional studies, one published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and the other in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), found no increased risk of miscarriage among pregnant women who received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine just before or during pregnancy.
Concerningly, as of September 11, 2021, only about 30% of pregnant persons were fully vaccinated before or during their pregnancy. With the dominance of the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19, the growing number of pregnant people who have been hospitalized for complications from COVID-19, and increased reports of maternal deaths from the virus in recent weeks, it is now more urgent than ever that pregnant people be vaccinated.
COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for all people 12 years and older, including people who are pregnant. If you are pregnant, you might want to have a conversation with your healthcare provider about COVID-19 vaccination. While such a conversation might be helpful, it is not required before vaccination. You can receive a COVID-19 vaccine without any additional documentation from your healthcare provider.
