Covid vaccine doesn’t increase early miscarriage risk in men or women, study finds

Good news if your guy’s gotten the newest Covid vaccine, or if he’s thinking about it: There’s no increased risk that either of you getting the shot increases your chance for having a miscarriage if you get pregnant, according to a new study. 

The new report is the first study to look at male vaccination and miscarriage, specifically, the authors said in a statement. The study was also first to look at the Covid vaccine and early miscarriage risk (before 8 weeks) in men and women.

“These findings should be replicated in other populations, but are reassuring for couples who are planning pregnancy,” Jennifer Yland, an epidemiology PhD student at the Boston University School of Public Health.

In the study, Yland and her team looked at survey data from men and women who had gotten the COVID-19 vaccine. The survey inquired about miscarriage as well. 

Yland evaluated data from 1,815 females in the US and Canada and 1,570 couples. The database tracked the women from their first positive pregnancy test until a miscarriage or other event like an ectopic pregnancy, abortion, or the 20-week mark (whichever happened first). 

Of the women, 75% had at least one dose of the Covid vaccine when they became pregnant. About a quarter of the pregnancies ended in miscarriage; 75% of the miscarriages happened before 8 weeks. 

Despite the losses, there wasn’t an increased risk for miscarriage, Yland said. The risk for miscarriage was 26.6% in those who weren’t vaccinated, 23.9% in those who had one dose of the vaccine before conceiving, 24.5% in women who had a full series of Covid shots before conceiving, 22.1% in women who got all their vaccines three months before conceiving, and 20.1% among women who got one of the two recommended doses before conceiving. 

The rate of miscarriage among people who got their Covid shots was comparable with another dataset of people who conceived before the pandemic, Yland noted.

The new data showed a slightly lower risk of miscarriage in those who were vaccinated compared to those who weren’t, Yland said.