Serious preparation for pregnancy requires that a young mother must protect her unborn baby from dangerous infections. She should know which vaccinations are necessary and which are undesirable when planning pregnancy. It is necessary to understand that vaccination causes stable immunity, so it makes it possible to protect the baby and the mother herself from diseases during pregnancy. Illness during pregnancy can cause unwanted complications or cause problems with fetal development.
You should not get vaccinated during pregnancy. Vaccinations are recommended before conception.
Vaccination against rubella
If you don’t remember whether you had rubella in childhood or not, and you don’t have the vaccination certificate, you can do a test to find out if there are antibodies in your body. The rubella vaccine is a live virus, so the vaccination is carried out once, without repeated revaccination. After vaccination given when planning pregnancy, immunity from the mother is subsequently transferred to the child through milk. It should be done no later than two months before conception. In other words, after this vaccination it is necessary to protect yourself for at least 2 months. It is important that rubella in a pregnant woman is an indication for termination of pregnancy, so pay close attention to this issue.
Is it possible to get pregnant and do you need to prepare in advance? About vaccination - in questions and answers
The audio tag is not supported by your browser. Rospotrebnadzor has prepared a leaflet on vaccination against coronavirus for residents of the Ulyanovsk region. It contains answers to the most frequently asked questions. If after reading the information you are still missing, please call the number indicated on the infographic.
Preparing for vaccination
— Will antihistamine medication (for allergies) before or after vaccination help reduce the reaction to the vaccine, avoid fever, pain and swelling at the injection site?
- No, such medicinal “preparation” is not needed.
— What should you do if, after vaccination, a flu-like syndrome occurs - fever, headache, etc.?
— Not everyone may have such a reaction, but if it does, it’s normal. Symptomatic therapy is allowed.
— What to do if a person still did not protect himself and caught coronavirus after the first vaccination?
— In this case, the second dose of the vaccine is not administered.
— What should people with chronic diseases (chronic gastritis, other gastrointestinal diseases, arterial hypertension, etc.) do?
— People with any chronic diseases should be vaccinated first, as they are at increased risk of severe complications from COVID-19.
— Do I need to undergo any tests or examinations before vaccination?
- There are no such requirements. The main thing is that you feel normal on the day of vaccination.
— Is it possible to take sedatives before vaccination so as not to worry?
- Yes, you can.
— If a person is allergic, is there a risk of getting a reaction to the vaccine?
— If you are allergic, be sure to inform your doctor about this before vaccination. The doctor will recommend which vaccine to get vaccinated; they have different compositions.
Is it possible? If necessary?
— Which COVID-19 vaccine is best for me?
— All vaccines registered in Russia are effective and safe.
— Do I need to get vaccinated if I have already had coronavirus?
— Yes, you should get vaccinated even if you have previously had COVID-19.
— Can COVID-19 vaccines be integrated into DNA?
— No, none of the COVID-19 vaccines affect or interact with your DNA in any way.
— Can COVID-19 vaccines negatively affect the ability to have children?
— There is no evidence that any vaccine, including the coronavirus vaccine, can affect fertility in women or men.
— The virus is mutating. Will vaccines work against new variants?
— So far, no significant changes in pathogens that can influence the course of the disease or the epidemic process have been identified. It is important to get vaccinated and continue measures to reduce the spread of the virus.
— Can the COVID-19 vaccine cause a positive test result for the disease, such as a PCR test or an antigen test?
— No, the COVID-19 vaccine cannot give a positive result in a PCR test or a laboratory antigen test.
— Can I get sick after vaccination?
— After being vaccinated against coronavirus (not because of it, but during subsequent infection with the virus), you can get sick; such cases have been described. If symptoms, including acute respiratory viral infection, appear in a vaccinated person, you should immediately consult a doctor and do a PCR test.
After vaccination, be as attentive as possible to your health:
1. After vaccination, some people may experience a flu-like syndrome - a rise in temperature, etc. Not everyone may have such a reaction, but if it occurs, this is normal. Symptomatic therapy is allowed - you can take antipyretic and anti-inflammatory drugs.
2. Intense physical activity and a sauna are not recommended in the first three days after vaccination. You can take a shower in peace.
3. In the first three days after vaccination, it is recommended to limit alcohol intake.
4. A full immune response to the vaccine will take 35-42 days to form, so after vaccination during this period, all precautions must be taken to avoid becoming infected with coronavirus.
5. While immunity is developing, it is necessary to wear a mask, maintain social distance, and carefully observe the rules of personal hygiene.
6. If pregnancy occurs after vaccination or in the intervals between two vaccinations, do not worry. Vaccination does not create any additional risks and does not pose a threat to the health of nulliparous women and their future offspring.
7. If you have already been vaccinated, share your experience with friends and family. Perhaps your example will become an important reminder and give confidence to those who have not yet done so.
For those 60+
1. Elderly people are at particular risk from coronavirus infection. It is in the elderly that, due to the load on the immune system, complications are possible, including such dangerous ones as viral pneumonia and thrombosis of various locations. These complications can lead to the most tragic outcomes. It is important to maintain your health!
2. Vaccination is the most reliable way to protect you from severe coronavirus and irreversible consequences.
3. Elderly people tolerate vaccination easily, without side effects. This is due to the characteristics of the body's immune response at your age.
4. You can get vaccinated even with various chronic diseases, the main thing is that they are not in the acute phase. Consult your healthcare provider.
5. Remember that full immunity is formed no earlier than 42-45 days after the first vaccination. Continue to follow safety precautions until antibodies develop (avoid crowds, wear a mask in public places, wash your hands frequently with soap or use an antiseptic).
Hepatitis vaccination
Since hepatitis B is transmitted through blood, the likelihood of infection in a pregnant woman increases due to the fact that during the period of preparation and pregnancy itself she is exposed to a number of medical procedures.
When planning pregnancy, vaccination against hepatitis is carried out in three doses. The first vaccination is done on the day you choose, the second one a month after the first, and the third six months after the first. Therefore, vaccination against hepatitis should begin six months before pregnancy.
There is another vaccination regimen against hepatitis B, but it requires a longer time. The required period for its implementation is 12 months, so if you choose this regimen, you will need to plan vaccination a year before conception.
Contraindications and adverse reactions to vaccination
Most often, the flu vaccine does not cause negative side effects, but sometimes they can occur.
The following adverse reactions are generally possible after vaccination: What do you think are the most important factors when choosing a medical facility?
- general weakness;
- nausea;
- headache;
- swelling and redness may form at the injection site;
- pain in joints and muscles;
- in rare cases, a fever may occur.
Also, the flu vaccine has several contraindications, and not every woman will be able to get vaccinated when preparing for pregnancy. This category includes people:
- with allergies to chicken eggs and antibiotics;
- with fever;
- with an infection in the body.
In the midst of an epidemic, you cannot get vaccinated.
To avoid the negative consequences that the influenza vaccine can cause, you must adhere to the following recommendations:
- Only a healthy person can be vaccinated after suffering a virus or infection - no earlier than two weeks later.
- If you feel unwell on the day of vaccination, you should reschedule the procedure.
- A couple of days before vaccination, you should not try new foods or cosmetics to avoid allergies.
- If a woman has vaccine anxiety, she can find out if she needs the vaccine. To do this, you need to take a blood test for immunoglobulins G and M. If the test reveals the presence of class G, then there is no need to be vaccinated, because the body is ready to fight the disease on its own. The presence of class M means that vaccination is contraindicated because the person is already infected and is in the acute stage of the process.
- If no antibodies are detected, you can and should get vaccinated.
Do not be afraid of the consequences of vaccination if it is indicated for you, because complications from an illness during pregnancy can have a much stronger impact on the health of the unborn child, as well as negatively affect the mother’s body.
Flu shot
Influenza is dangerous for pregnant women; it can lead to serious complications and defects in the fetus, even leading to premature birth. Therefore, doctors recommend that even pregnant women be vaccinated during an epidemic. It is important to understand that the flu vaccine does not provide a 100% guarantee against infection. However, the disease will be easier.
Parents who want to ensure good health for their unborn child should start planning ahead not only for pregnancy, but also for conception. To do this, you need to register with a gynecologist, get tested in a timely manner, and get vaccinated in advance.
THIS IS NOT AN ADVERTISING. THE MATERIAL WAS PREPARED WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF EXPERTS.
Risks of refusing vaccination
Flu negatively affects the body of the expectant mother and the fetus. When a woman is planning a pregnancy but refuses to be vaccinated, she should be aware of all the risks of contracting the flu while pregnant. Since the internal development of organs in the fetus occurs in the first trimester, the danger of influenza infection during this period is highest.
What can happen if a woman refuses to get the flu vaccine before pregnancy:
- If the expectant mother has had the flu at the very beginning of pregnancy, then already in the first weeks of gestation there is a risk of developing defects in the child, and in some cases, death in the womb may occur.
- Doctors may recommend terminating a pregnancy if the expectant mother has a severe case of the flu in the first trimester. This is due to the fact that there have been cases when women who had the flu during pregnancy gave birth to children with congenital defects.
- The influenza virus has the greatest impact on the nervous tissue of the embryo, and therefore there is a high risk of damage to the central nervous system.
- When a woman falls ill with the flu in the later stages, this can also lead to various pathologies of the fetus or cause premature birth. But here the risk is much lower than in the first trimester.
Based on the above consequences after refusing the vaccine, we can say - it’s better to get vaccinated to avoid such problems.
Features of vaccination when planning pregnancy
It should be remembered that influenza virus is very dangerous during pregnancy.
If the course of the disease is severe and timely treatment is not carried out, the possibility of spontaneous miscarriage cannot be ruled out. Vaccination is the best solution in terms of protection against this infection. Influenza immunization is especially recommended for women with myocardial diseases or lung diseases, for example, frequent bronchitis and asthma, heart defects and hypertension.
People with diabetes should also be vaccinated. The best time to get vaccinated against influenza is 2-3 months before planning pregnancy (PB) .
You should be vaccinated with vaccines that are available at this time and adapted to the expected epidemic, that is, they have an updated composition of influenza strains, the circulation of which is predicted in the current season. New vaccines appear at the beginning of September. If the moment is missed, then you can get vaccinated a month before the PB.
Immunization is indicated for all women whose pregnancy occurs during a possible pandemic period (autumn-winter period).
You can get vaccinated and protect yourself and your baby from the flu (during pregnancy) only if you are planning to conceive a baby.
In case of spontaneous pregnancy, the issue of immunization is decided in consultation with a doctor. In case of BE, immunoprophylaxis against influenza is recommended one month before the expected date.
You should know that flu vaccines are only available in early fall. At other times, their composition is no longer relevant, and it will be difficult to be vaccinated “correctly”.
