3f.8 Is it OK to be vaccinated for influenza during pregnancy?
Description
This article is from the Childhood Vaccinations FAQ, by Lynn Gazis-Sax lynng@alsirat.com with numerous contributions by others.
3f.8 Is it OK to be vaccinated for influenza during pregnancy?
It depends. When this topic has come up on misc.kids, people have
reported different recommendations from their doctors. And, when I
consulted the PDR, I found the same result: the PDR says that the
risks of the vaccine (especially during the first trimester) have to
be weighed against the risks of a particular patient getting the flu,
and that "The clinical judgment of the attending physician should
prevail at all times in determining whether to administer the vaccine
to a pregnant woman."
The CDC, in the October 8, 1999 issue of MMWR, recommended that
"Pregnant women with high-risk medical conditions should be vaccinated
before the start of the influenza season regardless of their stage of
pregnancy. Pregnant women without high-risk medical conditions, but
who will be in their second or third trimester during the influenza
season, are at elevated risk of complications and should be
vaccinated. Some experts prefer to vaccinate these women during the
second trimester to avoid a coincidental association with spontaneous
abortion, which is common in the first trimester, and because
exposures to vaccines traditionally have been avoided during the first
trimester. "
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