Is It Safe to Get a Flu Shot While Pregnant?
Date: 10/12/17
It’s a question many pregnant women ask themselves. Is it safe to get a flu shot during pregnancy?
The answer is yes. MHS wants you to know it is safe to get a flu shot while pregnant. In fact, the CDC recommends it. Any who is pregnant should get a flu shot during flu season. This is usually early October through late March.
A flu shot during pregnancy can help:
- Prevent the flu and maternal complications: Pregnancy can affect your immune system, which increases your risk of becoming severely ill due to the flu
- Prevent potential pregnancy problems due to the flu: Flu during pregnancy seems to increase the risk of miscarriage, premature birth and low birth weight
- Protect your baby after birth: If you have a flu shot during pregnancy, the antibodies you develop will pass through the placenta to help protect your baby from the flu
Here’s an interesting fact:
- In a study, babies whose mothers had a flu shot during pregnancy were nearly 50% less likely to be hospitalized with the flu during their first flu season than were babies of unvaccinated mothers
Also, request the flu shot, not the nasal spray vaccine. The flu shot is made from an inactive virus. It is safe for both mother and baby.
It’s important for pregnant women to get the flu shot. Keep that in mind when flu season comes!