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Vaccines and Medications in Pregnancy for Consumers

VAMPSS
If you are pregnant and have asthma you may feel uneasy about taking medications, but it is very important to keep your symptoms under control. Uncontrolled asthma symptoms can cause a decrease in the amount of oxygen in your blood supply. A developing baby needs a regular supply of oxygen for normal growth and development; if your asthma is uncontrolled during pregnancy, this can harm your baby.

During flu season, it is especially important to get a flu shot because flu is more likely to cause severe illness in women who are pregnant. Pregnant women with flu also have a greater chance for serious problems for their unborn baby, including premature labor and delivery.

Why was VAMPSS developed?
Major congenital malformations (birth defects) occur in 3-5% of all infants, and other complications such as preterm delivery and low birth weight occur in 10-15% of pregnancies. Although medications and vaccines are uncommon causes of these adverse events, they are among the most preventable. Because pregnant women are excluded from clinical trials, there is a lack of adequate safety information for most medications taken during pregnancy. The VAMPSS surveillance system aims to collect this information in a systematic fashion and help close the knowledge gap.

What does VAMPSS do?
VAMPSS is a national surveillance system designed to monitor the use and safety of vaccines and asthma medications during pregnancy, and uses two data collection approaches to get information about how vaccines and medications might affect your baby. One part of the study collects information from women while they are pregnant and up to one year after their baby is born and the other recruits certain women who have infants born with congenital malformations (birth defects) and others whose infants are born without malformations. Review the published findings from VAMPSS and our partner organizations. 

Who can participate in the VAMPSS study?
Women who are currently pregnant and have received or are planning to receive the BOOSTRIX Tdap vaccine can participate in an observational study. For more information on the study and to enroll, visit the Mother To Baby website. 

FDA information on pregnancy registries.

Pregnancy, Asthma and COVID-19

What is VAMPSS?

VAMPSS is a collaboration of the AAAAI, the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS) Research Center at the University of California San Diego and the Harvard Pregnancy Research Group. VAMPSS is led by an Investigative Team comprised of individuals from AAAAI, OTIS, SEC and the Harvard Pregnancy Research Group. VAMPSS activities are coordinated by an independent advisory committee comprised of individuals from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College of Obstetrians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the American Thoracic Society (ATS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as a gastroenterologist, a vaccine/immunology expert, an independent biostatistician and a consumer representative.

10/29/2025