Is sushi as dangerous in pregnancy as vaccination?

Dr. Simone Gold posted a video that claims even though pregnant women were once warned to avoid things like sushi and wine, they are now being told to get four vaccines during pregnancy, including one the she says cannot be “turned off.”

During pregnancy, people are told to avoid sushi made with raw fish because it can carry harmful germs or parasites that can make someone very sick. Some fish can also have high levels of methylmercury, which can harm a baby’s growing brain and nervous system. They are also told to avoid alcohol because it can pass through the placenta into the baby’s body. A developing baby cannot break down alcohol well, and alcohol can damage the baby’s brain and cause lifelong learning and behavior problems.

In a similar way, doctors often advise people to get certain vaccines during pregnancy to help protect both the mother and the baby from serious diseases like pertussis, RSV, COVID, and influenza. These diseases can be more dangerous during pregnancy because pregnancy changes how the immune system, heart, and lungs work. Vaccines can also help protect the baby after birth because the mother can pass protective antibodies to the baby before delivery. These vaccines are studied and evaluated for safety during pregnancy.

Pertussis, also called whooping cough, can be very dangerous for newborns because their airways are small and they are too young to be fully vaccinated. It can cause severe coughing fits, trouble breathing, pneumonia, and even death. RSV is a virus that can cause serious lung infections in babies, especially in the first few months of life. It can lead to bronchiolitis or pneumonia, and some babies need to be hospitalized for oxygen or breathing support. COVID can be risky in pregnancy because it can make the mother seriously ill and may raise the chance of problems like early birth. Influenza, or the flu, can also hit pregnant people harder and can lead to high fever, dehydration, pneumonia, and early labor, which can be dangerous for both the mother and the baby.

The video claims that COVID vaccines are a “gene product with no off switch,” but that is not how mRNA works. mRNA is a short-lived set of instructions that tells cells how to make a harmless piece of a virus so the immune system can learn to fight it. It does not enter the part of the cell where DNA is kept, and it cannot change your genes. It also breaks down quickly and does not stay in the body forever.

Miscarriage is sadly common. Up to about 30% of pregnancies end in miscarriage, including very early miscarriages that happen before someone even knows they are pregnant. In the COVID vaccine clinical trials, the number of miscarriages was within that expected range. The same was true for other pregnancy-related problems reported in the study.