ACOG Updates Vaccine Guidance For Expectant Moms

As summer winds down and respiratory virus season nears, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is urging pregnant patients to take extra precautions for their health and their babies.

In a new release, ACOG announces updated maternal vaccine guidance for RSV, flu and COVID-19. The updated recommendations lay out the latest scientific evidence behind when and what vaccines pregnant women can get and the benefits they offer.

“It is well documented that respiratory conditions can cause poor outcomes during pregnancy, with pregnant women facing both severe illness and threats to the health of their pregnancy. Thanks to vaccines, severe outcomes from respiratory infections are largely preventable,” Steven J. Fleischman, MD, MBA, FACOG, president of ACOG, said in the update. “ACOG’s updated respiratory guidance documents repeat what we have long known: that vaccines continue to be the best tool available for pregnant patients to protect themselves and their infants from these viruses.”

The new guidance advises that pregnant women receive both a COVID-19 booster and the flu vaccine at any point during pregnancy. ACOG stresses that these illnesses pose serious risks to mothers and their pregnancies, and vaccination is the best way not only to mitigate these risks, but also, in the case of the COVID-19 vaccine, lessen their child’s risk of contracting the virus in the first few months after birth.

“Looking closely at the full body of data clearly shows that the COVID-19 vaccines are not only completely safe for use during pregnancy but also protective both during pregnancy and after the infant is born,” said Mark Turrentine, MD, FACOG, one of the named authors of the practice advisory. “I know that my patients do all that they can to make decisions that will help them have a healthy baby, and choosing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is one decision that I encourage them all to make.”

For RSV, ACOG recommends that patients receive the maternal bivalent RSV PreF immunization between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy during RSV season. Since its debut in 2023, the maternal and newborn RSV immunizations have shown strong results in lowering serious RSV complications and RSV-related hospitalizations.

ACOG is not alone in revisiting vaccine guidance. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently updated its own recommendations for RSV, flu and COVID-19, notably urging broad access to the COVID-19 vaccination for children and teens. The recommendation breaks with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vague suggestion that “parents of children ages 6 months to 17 years should discuss the benefits of vaccination with a healthcare provider.”

As vaccination numbers wane and preventable diseases like flu and measles surge, ACOG hopes its recommendations might provide parents with the information and facts they are searching for when considering maternal vaccinations.

“In the face of misinformation and vaccine hesitancy, a strong, evidence-based recommendation in support of vaccination from a trusted clinician can go a long way toward encouraging our patients to protect themselves and their pregnancies,” said Sandra E. Brooks, MD, MBA, FACOG, chief executive officer of ACOG. “As respiratory illness season begins, it is crucial that my fellow health care professionals actively support and recommend COVID-19, flu, and RSV vaccines for pregnant patients.”

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