Comparison of pregnancy outcomes and neonatal complications between COVID–19-vaccinated and unvaccinated pregnant women in Tabriz, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Insufficient information exists regarding the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination safety in pregnant women. Objectives: The present study compared the pregnancy and fetal outcomes among COVID-19-vaccinated and unvaccinated pregnant women. Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences (Tabriz, Iran) on 117 pregnant women (55 vaccinated women as the case group and 62 unvaccinated women as the control group) using census sampling in 2022. The maternal outcomes (death, admission to intensive care unit [ICU], premature birth, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, oligohydramnios, and polyhydramnios) and neonatal outcomes (neonatal death, congenital disabilities, neonatal weight loss, admission to ICU, neonatal infection, neonatal fever, need for mechanical ventilation of the newborn, and one- and five-minute Apgar scores) were recorded. Then the two groups were compared using independent t-test, along with ANOVA and chi-square tests. Results: The number of women without pregnancy outcomes was marginally lower in the case group than in the control group (P=0.099). Gestational hypertension (P=0.312) and preterm birth were lower among unvaccinated women than among vaccinated women but this difference was not significant (P=0.089). Hospitalization in the neonatal intensive care unit (P=0.361), neonatal fever (P=0.259), and neonatal infection (P=0.079) were more common in infants born to vaccinated mothers than in infants born to unvaccinated women, although the difference not significant. Conclusion: Vaccination against COVID-19 appears to not be associated with an increased probability of maternal and neonatal complications.