With leftover Halloween candy lingering in our homes and turkey preparation
for Thanksgiving only a few weeks away reminds us that flu season will
also arrive shortly. The CDC advises all pregnant women–regardless
of stage of pregnancy–receive a flu vaccination.
While pregnant women do not experience an increase in the rate of serious
medical complications from the flu, they are hospitalized in their third
trimester at a comparable rate to non‑pregnant women who have high‑risk
medical conditions for whom the flu vaccine is traditionally recommended.
Using this data, researchers estimate that one to two hospitalizations
among pregnant women could be prevented for every 1,000 pregnant women
immunized.
Since the flu vaccine is not a live virus and major systemic reactions
are rare, many experts consider it safe during any stage of pregnancy.
However, concerns about neurotoxicity to the developing fetus lead to
the recommendation of
only using vaccines without mercury preservatives. If your primary care physician doesn’t carry them we do at Women’s
Health Specialists.