COVID-19 vaccination is recommended in pregnancy.
The vaccine you will be offered is the most updated mRNA (Pfizer/BioNTech) COVID-19 vaccine.
If you have not had any COVID-19 vaccines
If you have not had any COVID-19 vaccines, you can get your first round of COVID-19 vaccination at any stage of your pregnancy.
This is a single dose, unless you have a weak immune system.
COVID-19 booster in pregnancy
One COVID-19 booster vaccine is recommended in each pregnancy, regardless of the time of the year.
The best time to get your booster dose is between 20 and 34 weeks. But you can get it at any stage of pregnancy.
Wait 6 months after your last COVID-19 vaccine or infection before getting a booster.
If it has been more than 12 months since you had a COVID-19 vaccine or infection, you may be offered a booster dose earlier in your pregnancy.
If you have a weak immune system
You usually only need 1 booster dose in pregnancy. But if you have a weak immune system, you can get a second booster 6 months after your last COVID-19 vaccine or infection.
How to get vaccinated
You can choose to:
- go to your GP if they are offering COVID-19 vaccination
- book an appointment with a participating pharmacy
COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines in pregnancy
There are 3 vaccines you should get during pregnancy:
- COVID-19 vaccine
- whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine
- flu vaccine
Getting these vaccines means you'll be protected against serious illness from COVID-19, flu and whooping cough. You'll also protect your child while they're in your womb and for the first few months of their life.
You can get these vaccines at the same time. They are usually given in different arms.
Vaccines needed during pregnancy
If you have recently received a mpox vaccine, wait 4 weeks before you get the COVID-19 vaccine. This is a precaution because of the unknown risk of myocarditis. Myocarditis is an inflammatory heart condition.
COVID-19 infection during pregnancy
Most women who get COVID-19 infection during pregnancy get mild to moderate symptoms. They give birth as planned and the risk of passing on COVID-19 to their baby is low.
But you are more likely to get very unwell and need treatment in intensive care than a woman who is not pregnant. The virus may also cause complications for your baby.
COVID-19 in pregnancy may increase the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and preterm birth.
Vaccination protects you and your baby
Being vaccinated will reduce the chance of you becoming very unwell from COVID-19. It also reduces the chance of complications for your baby.
Getting a COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy gives you and your baby the best possible protection from COVID-19.
Evidence shows COVID-19 vaccines are safe
We are still learning about COVID-19 vaccines. There is limited data on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy. They were not tested on pregnant women during clinical trials.
But pregnant women in Ireland have been safely getting the COVID-19 vaccine since May 2021. There has been no increase in reported side effects from COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women or their babies anywhere in the world.
Continuing evidence has shown mRNA COVID-19 vaccination is safe and effective during pregnancy.
The COVID-19 vaccines are not live vaccines. This means they cannot give you or your baby COVID-19. The vaccine doses are rapidly broken down in your body. They cannot become part of your or your baby’s DNA.
If you are trying for a baby
You do not need to leave any gap between having your COVID-19 vaccine and:
- trying to get pregnant
- having fertility treatment, such as IVF
Fertility and COVID-19 vaccination
There is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccination affects fertility. Do not put off having a vaccine because you are hoping to get pregnant.
If you are breastfeeding
You can get a COVID-19 vaccine if you are breastfeeding and it has been recommended to you to get the vaccine. This will protect you from getting seriously unwell due to COVID-19.
You can continue to breastfeed safely after being vaccinated.
COVID-19 vaccines do not affect breastfed babies. There is no known reason to avoid breastfeeding if you are vaccinated.
Side effects
Like all medicines, vaccines can cause side effects. Most of these are mild to moderate and do not last long.
If you have a fever (temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or higher) after your COVID-19 vaccination, you can take paracetamol. Do not take ibuprofen or aspirin to treat a fever after vaccination in pregnancy.
This content was fact checked by vaccine experts working in Ireland.