Sheffield GP urges pregnant women to get vaccinated amid concerns

NHS Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said receiving two doses of the vaccine - which has been endorsed by the Royal College of Obstetricians - is the safest and most effective way of protecting both parent and baby.

The call came following new data that shows nearly 20 per cent of the most critically ill Covid patients are pregnant women who have not had their jabs.

Dr Frances Yarlett, a Sheffield GP and a clinical director at The Lowdown, the world's first review platform for contraception, was vaccinated whilst she was pregnant herself.

And now, she is encouraging expectant mums to do the same.

She said: “The Covid-19 vaccination is safe and effective - there's nothing in it that can harm yourself or your baby.

“We know that some people have concerns that the Covid-19 vaccine may affect your pregnancy but I'm here to reassure you that there is absolutely no scientific evidence for that.”

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She added: “Researchers have not been able to find any plausible, biological reasons why the vaccine could affect your fertility.

“It’s completely safe and before you turn 20 years old, women will have had at least 23 separate vaccinations and none of those have been known to affect fertility, so why would this one?”

Pregnant women are more likely to be more severely unwell if they develop Covid-19 which can cause problems such as premature births and sometimes even stillbirths.

You cannot catch Covid-19 from the vaccines and cannot pass it to your baby through your breast milk. You can still get vaccinated whilst breastfeeding.

Alun Windle, Chief Nurse and Covid Vaccination Lead at NHS Sheffield CCG, added: “Pregnant women are more likely to become severely unwell if they catch Covid-19, which can cause complications like stillbirth or a premature birth.

“There’s no evidence that the vaccine affects fertility now or in the future. Before the Covid-19 vaccinations were rolled out, there were dozens of pregnancies of women in the clinical trials.

“Vaccines are safe and effective. It’s disappointing to see that fewer pregnant women have taken the opportunity for a vaccine and I would encourage them not to delay any further.”