Pregnant women spoke to researchers at the University of Warwick about how they felt about vaccinations. They talked about some of the things that they considered when making decisions about whether to accept vaccinations or not. They shared how they felt about flu, whooping cough and Covid-19 vaccinations, and whether their views have changed since the pandemic.

 Some illnesses (such as Covid-19, flu and whooping cough) are more serious for pregnant women and unborn babies, and can result in hospitalisation and (in very severe cases) could result in death.

These illnesses are preventable by vaccination, but not all pregnant women choose to have vaccinations. For example, fewer than 1 in 5 pregnant women received three doses (two vaccinations and a booster) of the Covid-19 vaccinations in 2021.

We spoke to 43 pregnant women, with different ages, ethnicities and at different stages of pregnancy between March and June 2023.

The following pages will talk about some of the factors that pregnant women told us influence their decisions about whether to have vaccinations or not.

The information presented in the following pages are women’s views and opinions about vaccinations in pregnancy and are not necessarily facts. We have included some evidence boxes on most pages to provide you with some information about vaccinations.

Knowing people’s opinions and views will help us to provide relevant information and tailored advice in the future.

This study was funded by a National Institute for Health and Care Research grant.