Leading OB-GYN group releases vaccine advice differing from CDC's

The United States' leading OB-GYN organization recently released a set of vaccine recommendations that stray from federal guidance for the first time in its history, following a year of clashes with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists published a vaccine schedule for pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding people on June 10, saying it was seeking to provide the public "reliable, evidence-based information on maternal immunizations."

"Changing national recommendations coupled with rampant vaccine misinformation are resulting in confusion for both patients and health care professionals," ACOG president Dr. Camille A. Clare said in a statement.

Thirteen other medical societies, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the National Medical Association, endorsed the new schedule, which differs from the version released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year.

What does the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists' vaccine schedule recommend?

There are four core vaccinations that ACOG recommends getting during each pregnancy.

• Influenza: Can be administered at any point in pregnancy. It can also be given postpartum or while breastfeeding.
• COVID-19: Can be administered at any point during pregnancy. It can likewise be given postpartum and while breastfeeding.
• Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria toxoid and pertussis): Administered at 27-36 weeks of gestation. It can also be given postpartum and while breastfeeding.
• Maternal RSV: To be given during a first pregnancy between 32 weeks and 36 weeks plus 6 days. It does not need to be readministered in subsequent pregnancies; instead, infants should get a monoclonal antibody treatment.

Additional immunizations, including the pneumococcal, meningococcal and hepatitis A/B vaccines, are recommended for people with certain risk factors. HPV, MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) and varicella vaccines are recommended before pregnancy or postpartum.

Receiving these vaccines during pregnancy protects not only the mother but also provides neonatal protection as antibodies are filtered to the developing infant. Studies have shown not only that common illnesses, such as influenza, can cause more serious illness in postpartum mothers and infants, but that some vaccines, like Tdap, do not provide the same protection when given to an infant postpartum versus during pregnancy.

The ACOG vaccine schedule vs. the CDC schedule

The biggest difference between the ACOG schedule and the schedule established by the CDC are recommendations regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.

In May 2025, Kennedy announced that the COVID-19 vaccine would no longer be included in the CDC's recommended immunization schedule for healthy children and pregnant women, a move breaking with expert guidance.

This drew the ire of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which went as far as to release its own schedule in August 2025, saying the federal process was no longer credible. The ACOG was among the fellow health organizations that backed AAP's recommendations at the time. In a back-and-forth, Kennedy hit back at the pediatrics academy's criticism by implying that corporate pharmaceutical funders influenced the organization's views.

A federal judge ultimately blocked parts of HHS's reshaping of federal vaccine policy (including changes to COVID-19 vaccine recommendations) in March, siding with the AAP and other medical groups that sued to stop what they called Kennedy's agenda of upending immunization policies.

While the Trump administration has vowed to appeal the case all the way up to the Supreme Court, the official status of federal guidelines remains murky in the meantime. The judge's decisions would theoretically revert some parts of the CDC schedule to its previous form, which is more in line with the AAP and ACOG's current recommendations.

HHS did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.