Vaccines and pregnancy – do they go together?
September 19, 2008 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Women's Health
When a woman becomes pregnant and sees her doctor, it may noticed that she hasn’t had all her recommended vaccines or isn’t up-to-date with them. So this begs the question – should vaccines be given during pregnancy?
The flu vaccine is recommended for many women when they are pregnant (You’re pregnant – but the flu is going around), but there are some others that may be important too. I remember I had my first of the three hepatitis vaccine doses just a couple of days before I found out I was pregnant with my daughter. It’s not recommended, but since we didn’t know, it was too late. Thankfully, all seems to be ok in that respect.
You can read more about vaccines during pregnancy in this WebMD article: Vaccines during pregnancy: Are they safe?
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Image: iStock
Tags: pregnancy blog, vaccines during pregnancy, flu vaccine, hepatitis vaccine
They had that new study come out that a pregnant woman getting a flu vaccine a month before the baby arrives will pass that protection onto the baby that will last six months after birth.
I’m actually debating getting one this year because of that. I’m not of a fan of the flu shot because it’s just an educated guess. Last year was almost a complete miss, and I tend not to get the flu anyway. Could be herd immunity, I don’t know.
Hi TJ – yes, I read that too and it makes sense.
I do get the flu shot because if I get a cold or any respiratory virus, it goes straight to my lungs and I get frightfully sick. I figure I’ll take any addition to the illness prevention arsenal!