Is Vaccination Safe During Pregnancy?

Pregnancy weakens the immune system to support your growing baby – which means you have greater risk of catching something!

Statistics Show That:

Only 1 in 3

pregnant women receive both influenza (flu) and whooping cough vaccines.

69%

Sixty-nine percent of reported whooping cough deaths occur in babies less than 2 months old.

well over 50,000

adults dye each year from vaccine-preventable diseases and associated complications

Pregnant women are at risk for vaccine-preventable disease-related morbidity and mortality and adverse pregnancy outcomes, including congenital anomalies, spontaneous abortion, preterm birth, and low birth weight. In addition to providing direct maternal benefit, vaccination during pregnancy likely provides direct fetal and infant benefit through passive immunity.

VACCINES DURING PREGNANCY

THE FLU SHOT – INFLUENZA

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all expecting women get the flu vaccine if they’re pregnant during the cold and flu season, preferably toward the beginning of the season.

Got vaccinated last year? You should still get a new shot this (and every) year – because immunity wanes with time, and the flu shot is reformulated every year to incorporate whichever strains doctors think will be most prevalent.

TETANUS, DIPTHERIA AND PERTUSSIS (TDAP)

All women should get the Tdap shot between 27 and 36 weeks of each pregnancy, preferably in the first weeks of that window ( though if you’re at risk for whooping cough due to an outbreak in your community or if you get a deep cut in your skin and are due fro your tetanus booster, the vaccine is also safe to get earlier in pregnancy).

OTHER VACCINES YOU MAY NEED DURING PREGNANCY

You may also want to talk to your doctor about getting these vaccines during pregnancy if you meet particular risk factors, such as having a chronic illness or working or traveling in places where you may be exposed to the disease.

PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINES

HEPATITIS A VACCINE

HEPATITIS B VACCINE

MENINGOCOCCAL VACCINES

INFOGRAPHICS

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