Flu Vaccine Safe for Pregnant Women

Being administered flu vaccine during pregnancy is safe; a team of researchers reassure expecting moms. On the other hand, according to them, skipping the flu shot and experiencing influenza after becoming pregnant can lead to many pregnancy-related complications and poor birth outcomes.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, looked at Norwegian pregnant women who were administered H1N1 influenza vaccine during the 2009 to 2010 influenza outbreak, and those who skipped the flu shot.

Even though pregnant women were well-informed about the necessity of getting a flu shot by Norwegian public health experts, many skipped it due to the poor pregnancy outcome reported by media during the time.

Trying to figure out the safety of the vaccine in pregnancy, Siri Haberg from the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) and colleagues reviewed registries and record systems in Norway. Apart from that, they also collected data from obstetrical visits, birth records and vaccination registries.

Contradictory to the common belief, researchers found that vaccinating against influenza prevents fetal loss, and contracting influenza during pregnancy escalates the risks of miscarriages and stillbirths.

"Most important is that vaccinations protect pregnant women against influenza illness, which could be harmful for both the mother and the baby," co-author Allen Wilcox said in a news release. "If pregnant women are worried about their fetus, then getting a flu shot is a good thing to do."

First author of the study Haberg added, "Pregnant women should find it reassuring that we found no harmful effects on the fetus associated with H1N1 vaccination."

Facts provided by health experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also serve as a support to the findings. According to them, women are at higher risks of contracting flu during pregnancy due to changes in their immune system, heart and lungs. They recommend pregnant women to get the flu shot during pregnancy to avoid many adverse side-effects of the illness, including miscarriages and preterm birth.