Study Finds No Link Between Early Pregnancy COVID-19 Vaccination and Birth Defects

A study tracking the impacts of the COVID-19 vaccine administered in early pregnancy on fetal development shows the vaccine is safe for pregnant people and their unborn children. The study, “COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy and Major Structural Birth Defects,” published in the April 2025 Pediatrics (published online March 14), examined over 78,000 births to determine if those who were vaccinated prior to 20 weeks' gestation were more likely to give birth to a child with birth defects. Results observed 1,049 major structural birth defects (160.6 per 10,000 live births) among unvaccinated people compared with 199 (156.0 per 10,000 live births) for those who were vaccinated, suggesting that the administration of COVID-19 vaccines in early pregnancy does not increase the odds of having a child with a birth defect. Additionally, the prevalence of birth defects was unchanged even among those who also received other maternal vaccines (e.g., against influenza or whooping cough) or were sick with COVID-19 during the same period in pregnancy. Authors also found considerably fewer diagnoses of genitourinary system anomalies among infants born to people vaccinated against COVID-19 during pregnancy but stated more examination is needed to understand why. Authors concluded there was no demonstrable difference between the two groups’ odds of their children having birth defects, corroborating previous evidence that COVID-19 vaccines are safe for pregnant patients and their children.

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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.