LOS ANGELES, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Vaccination against COVID-19 during pregnancy is not associated with a higher risk of pregnancy complications, according to a new study published on Thursday.

       The study, which comprised almost 160,000 pregnancies, found no increase in the risk of preterm birth, growth retardation, low Apgar scores at birth or the need for neonatal care after vaccination against COVID-19 during pregnancy.

       The study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health was published in the journal JAMA.

       Earlier studies have shown that pregnant women belong to a risk group for serious COVID-19 requiring intensive care with a higher risk of death than non-pregnant women of a fertile age. Pregnant women with severe COVID-19 are also more likely to have preterm births.

       The study included a total of 157,521 individuals who gave birth between January 2021 and January 2022, of whom almost one fifth had been vaccinated. It was found that vaccinated individuals were at no higher risk than unvaccinated of developing pregnancy complications.

       "The results are reassuring and can hopefully make pregnant individuals more willing to get vaccinated," said co-first author Anne Ortqvist Rosin, researcher at the Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet.