Do I need to get a flu shot when planning a pregnancy? — MEDSI
Table of contents
- Flu vaccine and pregnancy planning
- Immune system during pregnancy
- Danger of the virus for pregnant women
- What vaccinations should I get when planning?
- Vaccine options
- When it is contraindicated
- Is it possible to get vaccinated during pregnancy?
- Adverse reactions
- Advantages of carrying out the procedure at MEDSI
Pregnancy planning should begin at least six months before conception. And getting a flu shot is included in the list of necessary actions.
Flu vaccine and pregnancy planning
A flu shot should be given before conception for several reasons:
- So that the woman’s body has time to develop antibodies to the disease
- To make it easier for the expectant mother to endure vaccination while her immunity is not yet weakened
- To avoid harm to the developing baby
Immune system during pregnancy
During pregnancy, a woman's immune system weakens to allow the fetus to develop. Otherwise, it will be rejected by the body as a foreign body. But due to lower immunity, the expectant mother is more at risk of contracting diseases than others.
Danger of the virus for pregnant women
A pregnant woman can easily become infected with the flu. It is most dangerous due to the likelihood of complications such as:
- Exacerbation of chronic diseases
- Miscarriage
- Development of heart defects or other organ defects in the fetus
- Premature birth
During this period, the introduction of medications into the body of the expectant mother is limited, since not all of them are safe for the developing baby.
What vaccinations should I get when planning?
Since it is not always possible to reliably find out whether the expectant mother has previously been vaccinated against certain diseases, when planning to bear a child, it is necessary to receive vaccinations from the following list:
- In seven months:
- Hepatitis B – done three times in stages
- Rubella
- Parotitis
- Measles
- Chicken pox
- Flu
- Tetanus
- Diphtheria
- Polio
If a woman becomes infected with a similar disease while carrying a fetus, there is a risk that it will develop developmental disorders and pathologies. There is also the possibility of miscarriage.
Vaccine options
A flu shot is required when planning a pregnancy. There are several drug options. Some of them contain elements of the destroyed pathogen, while others contain a living but weakened virus.
It is recommended to use the newest vaccine options. They appear in the fall of every year.
When it is contraindicated
Vaccination against this disease cannot be used in the following cases:
- First trimester of pregnancy
- The person is allergic to antibiotics and chicken eggs (in this case, there are types of drugs that can be used)
- The patient is already infected
Is it possible to get vaccinated during pregnancy?
The vaccine can be used in the second and third trimester of pregnancy. It is not prescribed in the first twelve weeks.
Adverse reactions
- Severe headache
- Discomfort and redness of the skin at the injection site
- Nausea
Advantages of carrying out the procedure at MEDSI
- Only modern high-quality vaccines are used - the safest and most effective
- A specialist can visit your home
- Make an appointment by phone 8 (495) 7-800-500
Flu vaccine during pregnancy
@Carrie If you are talking about recommendations, then forgive me for the sheet below) Quote from the federal clinical recommendations of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation - Vaccination of pregnant women against influenza.
Vaccination of pregnant women against influenza
Trivalent inactivated vaccines are recommended for women whose pregnancy coincides with influenza season. This statement is based on the significant reduction in the prevalence, severity and consequences of influenza in pregnant women, with potential benefits for the babies they give birth to. In 2005 guidelines, the World Health Organization encourages all countries to provide influenza vaccination to all pregnant women during the epidemic season [26].
To understand the feasibility and safety of influenza vaccination in pregnant women and children, a number of independent studies were conducted with randomization of large groups of children of different ages and women at different stages of pregnancy. Based on the results obtained, reports were generated that formed the basis of the ECDC agreement document. The purpose of creating such a guidance document was to provide information to EU/EEA Member States and EU authorities for correct and informed decision-making on regular vaccination of healthy children and pregnant women with seasonal influenza vaccine[26].
Annual influenza vaccination for all pregnant women has no contraindications.
Arguments for vaccination:
• Vaccination can reduce influenza-related hospitalizations and deaths among pregnant women.
• Vaccination of pregnant women can potentially reduce the occurrence and severity of influenza in children younger than six months of age, for whom influenza vaccination and specific antiviral treatment are not available. This is achieved in two ways:
− vaccination during pregnancy reduces the risk of infection after childbirth, and also reduces the likelihood of a child becoming infected with influenza during the first months of life;
− there is a transfer of antibodies against influenza from the mother to the fetus, which forms the child’s passive anti-infective immunity.
The use of antiviral therapy and vaccination against influenza in children under six months of age is unacceptable, therefore the lack of an alternative to effective protection against possible infection and severe consequences of the disease in infants makes vaccination of the expectant mother a priority.
• Influenza vaccination may reduce a pregnant woman's need to take antiviral medications, which are theoretically more dangerous than using an inactivated vaccine.
• The use of the vaccine is quite effective, which can reduce the risk of complications of influenza such as secondary bacterial infections. This situation is especially relevant in countries where there are high levels of antibiotic resistance.
• During influenza pandemics, there is a higher likelihood of hospitalization and excess mortality rates among pregnant women who become ill, compared with similar data during the pre-pandemic period. Similar trends were observed during the 2009 pandemic caused by the influenza A/H1N1/v virus.
• The general consensus of most ECDC experts is that the benefits of influenza vaccination for healthy pregnant women are effective and scientifically supported.
Flu during pregnancy
The period of a serious seasonal disease - influenza, which affects the entire population, including pregnant women, is approaching. What does an expectant mother need to know to reduce the risks for herself and her baby? The specialist says.
Pregnancy is a special period in a woman’s life when her well-being, appearance, lifestyle changes, this is an alternation of moments of happy anticipation, worry and anxiety for the unborn baby.
All changes that occur in a woman’s body during pregnancy are physiological if the expectant mother is healthy. But under unfavorable conditions (chronic or acute diseases, harmful effects of environmental or industrial factors) during pregnancy and childbirth, complications may develop for both the expectant mother and the baby.
Seasonal danger - influenza
Influenza is an acute, highly contagious respiratory viral infection that is caused by influenza viruses type A, B and C. It primarily affects the upper respiratory tract.
The virus can be transmitted by airborne droplets, airborne dust, and less commonly by contact. The source of infection is a sick person in the acute period of the disease or with an asymptomatic form, less often - people who are recovering, releasing the virus within two weeks from the onset of the disease.
The virus persists in indoor air for two to nine hours. On paper and fabrics - 8-12 hours, on glass - 10 hours, on the skin of the hands - 8-15 hours, on metal objects and plastic - 24-48 hours.
When the relative air humidity decreases, the survival time of the virus increases, and when the air temperature rises to 32°C, it decreases to one hour.
The time from infection to the appearance of signs of illness ranges from several hours to seven days, but most often it is only two to three days.
Flu symptoms
The disease begins acutely and is characterized by a sharp increase in body temperature to 38°C and above, as well as severe symptoms of intoxication. These include chills, headache, joint pain, muscle pain and pain when moving the eyeballs. Later, catarrhal-respiratory symptoms appear - such as dryness of the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract, sore throat, rawness or pain in the chest, dry cough, shortness of breath.
The manifestations and course of the disease in different people can vary significantly depending on the type of virus, age, state of the immune system, and concomitant diseases.
What are the features and dangers of influenza during pregnancy?
During pregnancy, a significant restructuring of the body's immunological mechanisms occurs - their physiological weakening (immunosuppression). This is a unique, necessary protection of the fetus from the destructive effects of the mother’s immune system, because the fetus is 50% genetically foreign.
But, at the same time, immunosuppression can contribute to the spread of the infectious process to many organs and systems of the body. During pregnancy, the need for oxygen is high, and the presence of a viral infection reduces its availability to the organs and tissues of the mother and fetus. That is why influenza during pregnancy poses a real threat to the health, and even life, of the mother and the unborn baby.
Infection in the early stages, when the formation of fetal organs and systems occurs, can lead to the development of malformations, miscarriage, and in later stages - to intrauterine infection of the fetus, developmental delay, premature birth, and stillbirth.
Women often develop dangerous complications: pneumonia, bronchitis, pyelonephritis and others, as well as possible life-threatening respiratory, cardiac, renal and liver failure.
Influenza is especially dangerous for women carrying a pregnancy against the background of chronic diseases (bronchial asthma, diabetes mellitus, diseases of the cardiovascular system and others), obesity, and in the presence of foci of chronic infection. Another important point is that in case of illness, not all medications, including antiviral drugs, can be prescribed to pregnant women, especially in the early stages.
As a result of numerous studies, it has been established:
pregnant women are 4 times more likely to require hospitalization,
Influenza is most severe in the third trimester of pregnancy,
more than 8% of hospitalized pregnant women require intensive care (mainly in the third trimester),
Preterm birth is 3 times more likely,
the likelihood of children dying during pregnancy, childbirth and afterward increases 5 times.
Flu shot during pregnancy
Taking into account all this data, it is fair to believe that it is necessary to prevent a pregnant woman from becoming infected with the influenza virus in every possible way. Currently, the most effective defense of the body is timely immunization. In Russia, pregnant women are vaccinated against influenza annually as part of the National Preventive Vaccination Calendar free of charge, in any trimester of pregnancy.
Modern vaccines approved for use in pregnant women contain a killed virus (inactivated), and therefore cannot cause disease. Available in ampoules or special disposable syringes designed for one vaccination dose.
The decision to vaccinate a pregnant woman in each specific case is made taking into account the state of health and individual characteristics at a given time. Consultation with an obstetrician-gynecologist, therapist, and other specialists if indicated is necessary.
Vaccination is carried out in the vaccination office of a medical organization; the corresponding mark is included in the vaccination certificate and the individual observation card of the pregnant woman.
Vaccines induce the formation of high specific immunity against influenza; the protective effect occurs, on average, after two weeks.
Vaccination is not carried out in case of an allergy to chicken protein and vaccine components, in case of any acute febrile condition or exacerbation of a chronic disease, previous complications from a previous vaccination, in the midst of an influenza epidemic.
What does the flu vaccination do?
In the vast majority of cases, it allows you to avoid the development of the disease - influenza (but not other respiratory infections!).
When the disease develops, it contributes to its easier course without complications for the health and life of the woman and child.
Antibodies against influenza are transmitted from mother to fetus, that is, passive immunity is formed that protects the child for up to six months.
Other Precautions
The following recommendations can help reduce the risk of contracting influenza:
avoid visiting public places with many visitors,
dress according to the weather,
limit or stop contacts with sick family members, ventilate the room more often, use individual household items and protection (mask),
discuss with a medical specialist the possibility of using medications for preventive purposes,
eat nutritiously, observe a work and rest schedule.
Pregnancy is a priceless gift! When thinking about procreation, try to ensure that neither you nor your baby are exposed to preventable dangers.
Who needs to get a flu shot?
– In terms of importance and necessity of vaccination, pregnant women come first, then children from six months of age, people with chronic diseases, doctors and teachers (in general, everyone who works in organized teams), then everyone else, including healthy people.
Priorities are allocated according to the severity of influenza in certain groups of people. Children up to 6 months have immunity from their mother, and then they become “sterile” and need to be protected. In people with chronic diseases, any disease worsens and creates delayed complications associated with exacerbation of the underlying disease. The trigger may be the flu.
