82% miscarriage rate after COVID vaccine?!
If a committee of experts is saying this, it must be true. Right?!...
If you've been on social media lately, you've probably seen some concerning claims surface again about COVID-19 vaccines and pregnancy. This is because a federal vaccine committee called ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) has just met for the first time since RFK Jr. fired the entire committee and replaced it many well-known conspiracy theorists. As an OB-GYN, I want to address these directly because I know how scary misinformation can be when you're pregnant or planning to become pregnant.
Let me share the real facts with you.
-Dr. Jen
Is this true?: "82% Miscarriage Rate"
What was said: "CDC data shows an 82% miscarriage rate among women who got vaccinated in the first trimester."
Why they said that: This number comes from a major misunderstanding of how to read research data and this paper. Imagine if I only counted the pizzas that had already been eaten at a party and said "100% of pizzas at this party have been consumed" - while ignoring all the fresh pizzas still cooking in the oven. That's exactly what happened here.
The researchers only looked at pregnancies that had already ended by a certain date. Of course, most of those were miscarriages - because the healthy, ongoing pregnancies weren't included in that count yet!
The real numbers: When we look at ALL pregnancies (including ongoing ones), the actual miscarriage rate among vaccinated people is 8.5-12.8%. This is completely normal - it's the same rate we see in all pregnancies, vaccinated or not.
TL;DR: The miscarriage rate was exactly the same in women who got the COVID vaccine.
Why this is terrifying: The fact that actual OBGYNs — such as Dr. James Thorp who is a high-risk OBGYN, no less — misinterpreted a study that college freshmen taking a statistics class would get right and use their credentials to impact government policy, is SCARY AF. Dr. Thorp, who in his bio highlights that he’s been on Tucker Carlson’s show and is known as an active conspiracy theorist when it comes to vaccines, submitted this testimony to the Senate and it is FILLED with lies.
It erodes trust in doctors and medicine in general. And they’re not held accountable. It sickens me.
If you’re a visual learner:
One more false claim for good measure: “Vaccines cause placental damage”
"I heard the COVID vaccine crosses the placenta and damages it."
This worry started with a false claim made by two scientists in late 2020 who suggested (without any evidence) that vaccine-produced spike protein might attack placental tissue. Their theory was quickly spread on social media, but here's what actual research shows:
Scientists have directly examined placental tissue from vaccinated women and found no spike protein present and no damage to the placenta (see my references below if you want to read them!).
The vaccine's spike protein and placental proteins are completely different - they're as different as any two random proteins in your body
Studies of hundreds of thousands of pregnancies show no increase in miscarriage or placental problems among vaccinated women.
Bottom line: This fear was based on speculation, not science, and has been thoroughly debunked by real research.
So who can I trust?
Unfortunately, we can no longer rely on the CDC for evidence-based guidelines. This sucks, because they’ve basically been our go-to source. But fear not! Major medical organizations have promised to keep putting out evidence-based guidelines to fill in the gaps while the government falls short/apart.
Sources that I recommend are:
Your healthcare team—talk to them. Ask questions. But if they start saying stuff like Dr. Thorp above, please consider a new provider who is not a conspiracy theorist….
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)
The Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania (CHOP) Vaccine Education Center
Major medical centers and academic institutions
Important note: Even if federal recommendations change for political reasons, medical organizations like ACOG and AAP have committed to maintaining evidence-based vaccine schedules. This means your healthcare providers will continue to follow the science, not politics.
The Bottom Line
I know there's a lot of confusing information out there, and it's natural to feel worried during pregnancy. Social media doesn’t help either when lies go viral. That's exactly why I want you to have the facts.
Based on extensive research involving hundreds of thousands of pregnancies, COVID-19 vaccines are safe during pregnancy and provide important protection for both you and your baby.
Please share this post if you found it helpful! So many Americans are confused and scared right now, and having the facts from someone they can trust can make a huge step in actually making America healthy.
Until next time,
Dr. Jen