Maternal COVID-19 vaccination provides significant protection for mothers and newborns

An analysis of data from over 1.2 million pregnant individuals found that those who received a COVID-19 vaccination had a 58% lower risk of being infected with the virus, as well as a lower risk of experiencing a stillbirth or preterm birth, according to research presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2025 National Conference & Exhibition at the Colorado Convention Center from Sept. 26-30.

For the study, "Safety and Efficacy of Maternal COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy: Umbrella Review & Meta-Analyses," the author conducted a systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase from Jan. 1, 2021, to Sep. 13, 2023. She included 23 meta-analyses inclusive of over 200 studies and 1,250,000 pregnant individuals with documented COVID-19 vaccination.

We found that the COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy offers significant protections to newborns and mothers. This information can help support informed decision-making for pregnant individuals and their care teams."

Nikan Zargarzadeh, study author and Harvard University research fellow

The review found those who received a COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy had an 8% lower risk of preterm birth before 37 weeks and a 34% lower risk of preterm birth before 28 weeks. Vaccination was also associated with an 25% lower risk of stillbirth and an 9% lower risk of neonatal intensive care admission, as well as a 17% lower risk of congenital anomalies, according to the study abstract. There were no increased risks observed for maternal hospitalization, intensive care admission, gestational diabetes, hypertension, or pre-eclampsia.

The authors did not receive financial support for this research.

Study author Nikan Zargarzadeh is scheduled to present her research, which is below, on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, 3:45 p.m. – 3:55 p.m. in the Colorado Convention Center, Mile High Ballroom 2A-3A. 

In addition, Ms. Zargarzadeh will be among highlighted abstract authors who will give a brief presentation and be available for interviews during a press conference from noon-1:30 pm Saturday, Sept. 27, in the National Conference Press Room, CCC 705/707. During the meeting, you may reach AAP media relations staff at 303-228-8338.