Hypertensive
disorders of pregnancy are major drivers of preterm birth, emergency
delivery, seizures, stroke, organ injury, long-term cardiovascular
disease, and maternal and fetal death.
by Nicolas Hulscher, MPH
A newly published CDC registry study
using data from the CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Pregnancy Registry (C19VPR)
and the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) compared
approximately 8,000 vaccinated pregnant women to 8,000 unvaccinated
pregnant women and found a 24% higher relative risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (15% vs. 12%) among those who received COVID-19 shots.
These disorders — which include gestational hypertension and
preeclampsia — are a leading cause of maternal and fetal death
worldwide. The association was statistically significant, persisted in
sensitivity analyses, and remained after adjustment for multiple
confounders.
The absolute difference observed was 3 percentage points. That means roughly 1 additional case of hypertensive pregnancy complications for every 33 vaccinated pregnancies.
If even 40–60 million pregnant women worldwide received COVID-19
vaccination during the global rollout period, a 3% absolute increase
would translate into an estimated 1.2 to 1.8 million additional cases of hypertensive pregnancy complications globally.
Hypertensive disorders are not
benign. They increase the risk of preterm birth, NICU admission,
emergency induction, C-section, long-term maternal cardiovascular
disease, and in severe cases, maternal and fetal death. Even in
well-resourced settings, these conditions significantly alter pregnancy
outcomes.
The
study also found that COVID-19 illness during pregnancy carried a
similar magnitude of risk (adjusted RR 1.28). It is not known what the
risk would be if a mother were both infected and vaccinated — but it is
likely higher than either exposure alone.
Pregnant women were told
these genetic products were safe. And now, the CDC itself has
identified a statistically significant elevation in one of the most
serious obstetric complications.
Global accountability for the harm inflicted on mothers and their unborn children is warranted.
Nicolas Hulscher, MPH
Epidemiologist and Foundation Administrator, McCullough Foundation
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