Can COVID-19 vaccines cause early miscarriage? No.

The newly appointed chair of a prominent federal vaccine advisory panel recently made claims suggesting that receiving a COVID-19 vaccine during the first trimester of pregnancy could lead to miscarriage. This statement revives an old, debunked rumor that has circulated online for years.

Dr. Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist selected this week to lead the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), originally made the comment in October while already serving on the panel. Speaking at a church in Texas during a Q&A session about COVID-19 vaccines, he stated, If you get a vaccine youre in your first trimester you have an 80 percent chance of miscarrying. Eighty percent. The remarks were recorded, uploaded to YouTube, and reported by Endpoints News.

Milhoan cited a 2021 study from the New England Journal of Medicine to support his claim. However, the study examined COVID-19 vaccine safety and did not find an increased risk of miscarriage. Anti-vaccine groups had previously misrepresented the findings to suggest otherwise.

Extensive research indicates that COVID-19 vaccines are safe during pregnancy. Meanwhile, contracting COVID-19 while pregnant can cause serious complications, including preterm birth. Leading maternal health organizations continue to recommend vaccination for pregnant individuals.

Requests for comment from Milhoan, including through his nonprofit affiliation, went unanswered. Health and Human Services (HHS) also did not immediately respond. Milhoans social media posts did not retract his statements, which included the incorrect claim that COVID-19 vaccines can cause cancer.

Earlier this year, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for anti-vaccine activism, dismissed all 17 previous ACIP members and replaced them with individuals with limited vaccine policy experience. Milhoan is part of this new group, which joined in September and is scheduled to review childhood vaccine policies this week, including the universal hepatitis B newborn immunization.

Author: Connor Blake