SMFM: Prenatal COVID-19 Vaccine Does Not Impact Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Offspring

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By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Feb 20, 2026.

via HealthDay

FRIDAY, Feb. 20, 2026 -- Neurodevelopmental outcomes seem to be similar for children of mothers who received and did not receive mRNA severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination during or just prior to pregnancy, according to a study presented at The Pregnancy Meeting, the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, held from Feb. 8 to 13 in Las Vegas.

George R. Saade, M.D., from Eastern Virginia Medical School at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, and Brenna L. Hughes, M.D., from the Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, examined the association between SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in pregnancy and offspring neurodevelopmental measures in a multicenter prospective observational study. A total of 3,956 mothers were assessed; 271 offspring aged 18 to 30 months of mothers who did (exposed) and 240 of mothers who did not (unexposed) receive at least one dose of an mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine during or within 30 days prior to pregnancy were enrolled.

Overall, 217 pairs were matched on all characteristics. The researchers found that mothers in the exposed group versus the unexposed group were more likely to be nulliparous, and their children were more likely to be vaccinated and slightly younger at assessment. No other significant differences were seen in baseline characteristics. An equivalent primary outcome of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire score was seen. Secondary outcomes did not differ significantly between the groups.

"This study, conducted through a rigorous scientific process in a National Institutes of Health clinical trials network, demonstrates reassuring findings regarding the long-term health of children whose mothers received COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy," Hughes said in a statement.

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Source: HealthDay

Posted : 2026-02-21 15:58

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