"Hundreds" of young women in the North-West are putting themselves and their unborn children in danger by steering clear of COVID vaccines, a Burnie obstetrician-gynaecologist has warned.
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Dr Kim Dobromilsky is a leading doctor at the North West Private Hospital, where a large majority of the Coast's babies are born.
She said she had noticed hundreds of women, particularly public patients, choosing not to get vaccinated against COVID-19 due to fears around the way it might affect their own fertility or the safety of their unborn babies.
"My biggest concern has been women who are avoiding the vaccine when they're having fertility treatment, which was a big surprise," she said.
"I've even had women whose partners don't want to get vaccinated because of the effect on sperm.
"But there's no vaccine out there that has an effect on fertility, not even the COVID vaccines."
Dr Dobromilsky said she understood why many pregnant women were worried.
"That's a natural and normal thing," she said.
"I try and talk to them about their concerns and gently work through it. We don't have any long term data, but there's been a lot of research - the vaccines have been used in hundreds of thousands of pregnant woman now.
"What the data is showing is just how dangerous it is to get COVID while pregnant with no vaccine. We have to weigh up the risks and benefits."
Among those who are feeling anxious about the effects of vaccines is a young woman who requested not to be named.
She said she was nearly four months into her pregnancy, and had not yet been vaccinated against COVID.
She said a combination of "persuasive parents" telling her not to get vaccinated, a lack of knowledge, and fears for her unborn child were making her hesitant.
"I just don't know enough about it," she admitted.
"It's not because I think it's a government conspiracy or anything. I need to do more research.
"If it were just me I'd probably just bite the bullet and get it ... But it's not purely for me, the baby is obviously a lot more vulnerable than I am."
She said she had been planning to go to university this year, but had deferred it as she would not be allowed on campus without at least two doses.
The young woman is currently a public patient, and said her single appointment with the midwives so far had not done much to alleviate her fears.
"I'm quite young and I've never had a baby before," she said.
"They told me if I wasn't vaccinated I'd only be able to stay for six hours ... it's scary going into a birthing suite knowing that."
She said she was feeling vulnerable, and hated feeling like she was being forced to make a decision.
"I'm worried, it's just human to worry. As a future mother and a young mother I wish there was more respect around people's decisions either way."
Dr Dobromilsky said there was plenty of research out there for mothers to look at.
"The side effects are no different whether you're pregnant or not pregnant," she reassured.
She said about 90 per cent of her private patients were now vaccinated after seeing a "huge uptake" when the borders opened.
"Most of my pregnant ladies are not anti-vax at all, they're sensible, intelligent ladies who are trying to do the right thing," she said.
"But the rate among public patients is much lower. I think access is also a problem."
Dr Dobomilsky said she had been lobbying the state government to allow her to administer vaccines after women had given birth, as many were more willing to receive a dose postpartum.
"We were blocked at every point," she said.
"Pregnant and new mums are an under vaccinated population, and there has been no pathway to help these women.
"It's not ideal to take a new born baby into a vaccination centre, and a lot of these women don't even have a GP."
She said she felt like her requests had "fallen on deaf ears", and that the thought of young mothers walking around unprotected in the meantime made her feel anxious.
A Health Department spokesperson said they had tried to work with Dr Dobromilsky.
"The Department of Health provided information to Dr Dobromilsky on how to seek Commonwealth approval to administer vaccines, which is the same application process that private GPs and Pharmacists have followed in order to administer COVID-19 vaccines in Tasmania," they said.
"It is our understanding that this was not taken up by Dr Dobromilsky.
"The Department also offered to contact the Pharmacy Guild on Dr Dobromilsky's behalf to enquire which pharmacies in the immediate area would be willing to provide an in-reach service to her patients at the hospital so that she could arrange in-reach vaccination.
"The Department explored all available options with Dr Dobromilsky and remains committed to assisting pregnant and postpartum women to be vaccinated, either through state-run clinics or GPs and pharmacies. Vaccination remains our best protection against COVID-19."
Dr Dobromilsky said the Commonwealth process she had been directed to only applied to outpatients, and not the inpatients she was dealing with.