The information on this page was last updated on 23/07/21
Covid-19 vaccines are now recommended when pregnant. Vaccination is the best way to protect against the known risks of COVID-19 in pregnancy for both women and babies, including admission of the woman to intensive care and premature birth of the baby.
You can be vaccinated against coronavirus (COVID-19) if you’re aged 18 or over and:
- you’re pregnant or think you might be
- you’re breastfeeding
- you’re trying for a baby or might get pregnant in the future
If you’re pregnant and have not had a COVID-19 vaccine yet, it’s preferable for you to have the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine. Over 130,000 pregnant women from diverse ethnic backgrounds in the USA have received either a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, with no evidence of harm being identified. In addition over 51,000 pregnant women in England and 4,000 in Scotland have received a vaccine. If you’ve already had the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine for your 1st dose and did not have any serious side effects, you should have it again for your 2nd dose.
The vaccines cannot give you or your baby COVID-19. You cannot catch COVID-19 from the vaccines and cannot pass it to your baby through your breast milk.
Booking your vaccination appointments
You can book your Covid-19 vaccination by calling the helpline – 0800 030 80 13
You can also book a vaccination by logging onto the online portal – Login – Customer Service (nhs.scot) You will need a username and password for this. If you have forgotten your username or password, you may need to recover it.
If you’re under 40, you’ll only be shown appointments for the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines. If you’re 40 or over, you’ll be asked if you’re pregnant to make sure you’re only shown appointments for these vaccines.
You’ll be able to discuss the benefits and potential risks of having a COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy at your vaccination appointment.
You can also speak to a GP or your maternity team for advice.
You may find the COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy decision aid from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (PDF, 643kb) helpful.
Fertility and COVID-19 vaccination
There’s no evidence the COVID-19 vaccines have any effect on your chances of becoming pregnant. There’s no need to avoid getting pregnant after being vaccinated.
