Meta-analysis: COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy is safe and beneficial for mother and infant

DENVER — 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,” said Nikan Zargarzadeh, study author and Harvard University research fellow. “This information can help support informed decision-making for pregnant individuals and their care teams.”

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. 

Please note: only the abstract is being presented at the meeting. In some cases, the researcher may have more data available to share with media, or may be preparing a longer article for submission to a journal. 

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org. Reporters can access the meeting program and other relevant meeting information through the AAP meeting website at http://www.aapexperience.org/

Program Name: 2025 Call for Abstracts 

Submission Type: Section on Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine 

Abstract Title: Safety and Efficacy of Maternal COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy: Umbrella review & meta-analyses 

Nikan Zargarzadeh 

Boston, MA, United States 

The safety & efficacy of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy are critical not only for maternal and fetal health, but also for informing public health policy and preparedness for future pandemics. To date, no comprehensive umbrella review has synthesized meta-analysis evidence on both the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccination in this population. This study aims to address this significant knowledge gap. 

We conducted a systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase from 01/01/2021 to 09/13/2023. We included 23 meta-analyses inclusive of over 200 studies and 1,250,000 pregnant individuals with documented COVID-19 vaccination. Risk Ratios (RRs) and pooled proportions were calculated using R, employing random-effects models and Egger’s test for publication bias (PROSPERO registration: CRD42024519174). 

COVID vaccination during pregnancy reduced maternal COVID-19 infection rates (Risk Ratio [RR] 0.41, 95% CI 0.30-0.57), stillbirth (RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.58-0.98), PTB ≤37 weeks (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.86-0.99). No significant risk differences were observed among other outcomes, except for a marginal increased risk of cesarean delivery (RR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01-1.12). 

Through this umbrella review of comprehensive meta-analyses, including data from over 1.2 million pregnant individuals, we demonstrate significant benefits of COVID-19 vaccination with high confidence and no associated increase in risk. These quantifiable benefits can support informed shared decision-making and enhance public health communication strategies during this and future pandemics.