Expert commentary by Dr Alex Polyakov, Obstetrician and Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Melbourne

There is a lot of misinformation regarding possible effects of COVID-19 vaccinations on pregnancy and fertility. These unfounded concerns are amplified by social media which creates vaccine hesitancy among people who are trying to conceive as well as pregnant women. Millions of women in these circumstances have been vaccinated up to date and there is no suggestion that COVID-19 vaccination has any impact on either short- or long-term fertility. Likewise, despite constant and extremely close monitoring, there is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines cause any problems in early or late pregnancy. Nor do they have any negative impact on the risk of miscarriage. This Norwegian study concentrated on the risk of miscarriage and its possible association with COVID-19 vaccinations. The results are reassuring in that it found no increased risk of miscarriage following either one or two doses of COVID-19 vaccination. This reinforces previous research that supports the safety of COVID-19 vaccination at any stage of pregnancy, including very early pregnancy. It is becoming clear, as more research and surveillance is conducted, that the risk of COVID-19 vaccination is minimal for the vast majority of women. At the same time, COVID-19 infection poses an unacceptably high risk of severe disease and even death, and this risk appears to be greater for pregnant women compared to the general population. The message is clear: there are very few reasons not to get vaccinated and trying to conceive or being pregnant are not one of them.