iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

The main update since February (when I last did this) is that the final analyses of the complete V-safe pregnancy registry dataset has been published following peer review. It continues to show no increased risk of any pregnancy problems associated with COVID vaccination. 3/3

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Senators Paul and Johnson are repeating a claim from 2021, made based on a misinterpretation of the first data from the V-safe pregnancy registry, and commented on by me and others at the time... 2/ www.factcheck.org/2021/07/cdc-...

factcheck.org

CDC Data Thus Far Show COVID-19 Vaccination Safe During Pregnancy - FactCheck.org

Federal vaccine monitoring systems have identified no safety concerns with the COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant people. Preliminary Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show that miscarriage ...

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Further to comments from Senators Paul and Johnson on the safety of #CovidVaccines in #pregnancy, people are asking if I still update my table of studies. I've just done so! 1/3 docs.google.com/document/d/1...

A slide summarising the safety data on COVID infection and vaccination in pregnancy. On the left, in unvaccinated individuals COVID infection increases the risk of preterm birth, pre-eclampsia, stillbirth and neonatal death. On the right: 3 trials including 221 participants who received mRNA vaccine and 54 observational studies including at least 568,284 people vaccinated in pregnancy found no increased risk of stillbirth, miscarriage, preterm birth, SGA, congenital abnormalities, NICU admission or health or neurodevelopmental problems in babies up to eighteen months old, following COVID vaccination.

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

And the list of studies Brian recalls might be this one… 2/2 docs.google.com/document/d/1...

A slide summarising the safety of COVID infection and vaccination in pregnancy. On the left, in unvaccinated individuals COVID infection increases the risk of preterm birth, pre-eclampsia, stillbirth and neonatal death. On the right: 3 trials including 221 participants who received mRNA vaccine and 49 observational studies including at least 523,429 people vaccinated in pregnancy found no increased risk of stillbirth, miscarriage, preterm birth, SGA, congenital abnormalities, NICU admission or health or neurodevelopmental problems in babies up to eighteen months old, following COVID vaccination.

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

I did back on Twitter, and I also responded to it when it was in preprint. 1/ x.com/vikilovesfac... www.preprints.org/manuscript/2...

preprints.org

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Student researchers: the Robin Weiss Prize for Science Writing is now open! It's a great opportunity to share your ideas, develop your science-writing skills, and gain recognition for your work. Learn more and apply: oxford.ly/robin-weiss-...

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ACOG @acog.org · 17/02/2026

Vaccines are critical to protecting pregnant women and their infants. ACOG’s newly updated guidance urges ob-gyns to review patients’ immunization status, recommend needed vaccines, and address barriers such as misinformation. Read the full press release for more: bit.ly/4ro56GZ

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

"Although [adenovirus-based] COVID-19 vaccines are out of the picture... an adenovirus-based Ebola shot is on the market, and similar vaccines against other diseases are in development. The new data suggest they, too, could cause VITT, but they might be made safer by tinkering with the adenovirus."

science.org

Rare, dangerous side effects of some COVID-19 vaccines explained

“Groundbreaking” study uncovers why adenovirus-based shots caused life-threatening blood clots and bleeding in some people

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Borne Charity @bornecharity.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

Women’s health research needs women in science. On International Women & Girls in Science Day, we’re proud to support outstanding researchers working to understand and prevent premature birth. @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social #WomenInScience #WomensHealth #PrematureBirth #IDWGS

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

Among almost 60,000 women aged 18 - 45 in one Swedish county, #Covid #Vaccination did not affect the chance of getting or staying #pregnant. I know of at least a dozen studies that have shown this, but this is by far the biggest! I spoke to @lizszabo.bsky.social

cidrap.umn.edu

Large study finds COVID-19 shots don’t affect fertility

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

Lovely to finally meet you IRL too!

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

Thank you so much for inviting me! It was great to chat to so many inspiring scientists!

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Lydia Becker Institute @lydiabeckeriii.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

Dr. Victoria Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social joins us from @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social tomorrow to discuss "The immune and reproductive systems: a fertile conversation." 📆 Thursday 29th Jan 🕛 12:00 PM 📍 Michael Smith Lecture Theatre @britsocimm.bsky.social #ImmunoSky

British Society for Immunology MIG seminar, Dr Victoria Male, Imperial College London:

"The immune and reproductive systems: a fertile conversation."

Thursday 29th January
12 pm
Michael Smith Lecture Theatre
Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

But you have to hunt in the supplementary for it. Important also to realise that this approach effectively looks at effects on pregnancy on the left side of the curve (where ppl vaccinated are already pregnant) and on fertility on the right (vaccination before pregnancy). 2/

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

I actually reviewed this one! I was satisfied with the methods but I do felt it struggled for the extremely short format the journal required. To my mind, the most important finding is the Cox proportional hazards model, showing no difference in time to childbirth by vaccination status... 1/

A Kaplan Meier curve displaying time to childbirth by COVID vaccination status. There is no difference between the two groups.

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Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

Tylenol during pregnancy is safe without increased risk of autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability of offspring A new review of the evidence just out www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

Thanks! We hope people find it useful!

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

Thanks to the IMPRINT network for supporting this project, @ukri.org for funding and colleagues @drbethholder.bsky.social and Sara Barnett. You've all been great to work with!

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

We've also curated a collection of resources for midwives and other healthcare professionals, to help make conversations about this important topic easier and more impactful. Please take a look and share with your patients and colleagues! 2/

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

Vaccination against whooping cough, RSV and flu during pregnancy saves babies lives, but expectant parents are sometimes unsure. How do I know it's safe? Will it protect my baby? To answer these questions, we've created www.vaccinesinpregnancy.org #ObGynSky #MedSky #ImmunoSky 1/

vaccinesinpregnancy.org

Vaccines in Pregnancy, UK | Learn More About Vaccination Today

Comprehensive guide to vaccines during pregnancy in the UK, including timing and locations for vaccination. Essential information for expectant parents and healthcare providers.

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

@scientisttess.bsky.social Sorry to miss your talk (and indeed the drinks!) My train was cancelled so I had to leave in time to get the one before.

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

…it means we can’t tell what is due to infection and what is due to other factors relating to the pandemic. They had 65 pandemic-era but (apparently) uninfected pregnancies that I don’t see them reporting on. I would really have liked to know how these babies were! 2/2

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

I am thank you! Just read this. One thing that annoys me is that they only compare babies born following infection to pre-pandemic babies. I see the logic in that (you can’t be sure that people who weren’t infected in the pandemic really weren’t infected!) but… 1/

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

I tried but never really got into things here! I think I never got my notifications set up quite right, but got one for this. Certainly something that’s worth keeping an eye on. Thanks for sharing.

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

Until very recently, the CDC was doing this, but specifically focused on the risk of COVID in babies, rather than obstetric outcomes. With their remit being curtailed, rather than extended, I don’t see us having answers to this anytime soon. 2/2

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

To my knowledge, no. One big challenge is that we no longer have the testing infrastructure to know who has or hasn’t had COVID and follow up outcomes. Another way to approach the question would be to look at outcomes in vaccinated vs unvaccinated pregnancies. 1/

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

But these stats on their own don’t convince me we’re seeing problems of repeat COVID infection in these services, and also don’t chime with what we’re seeing on the ground: business pretty much as usual, albeit that services are underfunded and understaffed (so… business as usual!) 12/12

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

Formal analyses of HES can be done, and this is one of the ways we found that COVID vaccination was safe in pregnancy, and put a numerical value on the harm of infection at the height of the pandemic. As I’ve said, I’d like to see an updated analysis. 11/11

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

So from all of this, I will say the same as I did when people were using HES to try and claim an increase in certain obs and gynae problems due to COVID vaccination. So much goes into HES that you can’t use the raw figures to test these kinds of ideas. 10/

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

There’s also increased awareness about endometriosis, which is great! And longer waiting lists to see the gynae service - I am hearing years in some trusts - which is not. But both of these will cause an increase in HES. 9/

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

So these would not show up in the gynae HES. And many of those gynae conditions are ones that you live with for years before getting to hospital. For endometriosis, it’s 8 on average. People being seen in hospital now, on average, first visited their GP about it before the pandemic. 8/

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

Similarly, there have been a string of dreadful outcomes in labour recently and a number of maternity services are currently under investigation. My colleagues say that are practicing much more defensively in this climate, and this may well be playing into HES numbers. 6/ www.gov.uk/government/n...

gov.uk

14 NHS trusts the focus of national maternity investigation

Government announces 14 hospital trusts to be looked at in a national investigation.

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

The investigation into this came out in 2020. The guidance hadn’t yet been updated, but understandably people are being much more cautious about referring and admitting, which may well be causing that increase. 5/ www.hssib.org.uk/patient-safe...

hssib.org.uk

The diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy

An estimated 12,000 women experience an ectopic pregnancy each year in the UK. Ectopic pregnancy occurs when the fertilised egg implants outside the uterus, usually in the Fallopian tube. If it’s left...

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

Some important context here is that obstetrics and gynaecology in the NHS are in a bit of a state at the moment. In 2018 there was a high profile case in which someone attended for (what it turned out was) an ectopic pregnancy, was sent home and it ruptured… 4/

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

We just aren’t seeing COVID preterm births and stillbirths anymore. So the harm of infection in pregnancy now, if there is any, is subtle. Way more subtle than those increases in hospital attendance. 3/

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

But how bad is COVID in pregnancy now that people are no longer catching it for the first time? We don’t have formal studies on this (I wish we did! It would help us make decisions about whether it would be worth extending the vaccine offer) but, from the ground… 2/

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

First, it’s important to acknowledge that COVID can cause preterm birth and stillbirth when unvaccinated people catch it for the first time. This was a big problem in obstetrics during the pandemic, and the main reason we offered pregnant people vaccines. 1/ www.nature.com/articles/s41...

nature.com

SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy - Nature Reviews Immunology

In this Progress article, Male summarizes our current understanding of the risks associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy. Importantly, the article highlights the now substantial body of evid...

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The Loke Centre for Trophoblast Research @loke-ctr.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

Looking to pursue cutting-edge research in early development, maternal-fetal interaction, or placental biology? See 👇 - Funded PhD www.trophoblast.cam.ac.uk/phd-students... - Next Generation Fellowship www.trophoblast.cam.ac.uk/next-generat... - MPhil www.mphil.bio.cam.ac.uk/mphil-pathwa...

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Adrian Liston @labliston.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

A small primer on the #NobelPrize awarded to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi today. This prize was for combining two separate fields of immunology research - genetic research on IPEX and immunology research of regulatory T cells (#Tregs), with enormous impact on biology/medicine

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

Jessie and I wrote at least a dozen times over the last few weeks, and she probably wrote just as much to @jsm2334.bsky.social, @doritreiss.bsky.social who I see are also quoted - as well as to ACIP members and Pfizer. With thanks to @kevinault.bsky.social, who pinged me to say this was up.

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Viki Male @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

The relentless Jessica McDonald has spent two weeks and hundreds of emails to fact check claims about the safety of #CovidVaccination in #pregnancy made at the #ACIP meeting. She couldn't have been any quicker. A lie can get around the world before the truth can get its shoes on.

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Deena Mousa @deenamousa.com · 25/09/2025

In 2016 Geoffrey Hinton said “we should stop training radiologists now" since AI would soon be better at their jobs. He was right: models have outperformed radiologists on benchmarks for ~a decade. Yet radiology jobs are at record highs, with an average salary of $520k. Why?

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Sansa Sandisk @cheatlines.co · 21/12/2023

When I encounter myself as a different colored cursor because I have the Google Doc open in two tabs

Natalie Portman in Black Swan being menaced by a doppelganger in the mirror

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ACOG @acog.org · 22/09/2025

ACOG reaffirms that acetaminophen is safe for managing pain and fever during pregnancy. No reputable studies support suggestions like those in HHS’s recent announcement linking acetaminophen use in pregnancy to autism; in fact, high-quality studies show no such risk. bit.ly/47Wxc59

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Liz Szabo @lizszabo.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

From Politifact: Research doesn’t show using Tylenol during pregnancy causes autism. Here are 5 things to know www.pbs.org/newshour/hea...

pbs.org

Research doesn’t show using Tylenol during pregnancy causes autism. Here are 5 things to know

There’s no known single cause of autism.

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