Should I Get The Flu Shot During Pregnancy?
Cold and flu season are creeping up on us faster than clearance bags of bite sized candy after Halloween. With the change in weather and new strains of flu comes the recommendation from both providers and the CDC to receive the flu shot. Particularly susceptible to the yearly strain of flu are those with compromised immune systems - elderly, young children, and, you guessed it…pregnant women.
The main question many pregnant women ask as they observe the somewhat stricter restrictions on medication use in pregnancy trimesters is ‘how safe is the flu shot?’
The flu shot itself and the protection it provides from the flu is considered safe for all trimesters of pregnancy. The shot itself does not have any dangerous effects or implications for a growing baby, although, admittedly, the CDC states that more research into the first trimester needs to be done. On the whole, OB/GYN practices recommend a woman receive the flu shot to avoid becoming ill with the flu during the season no matter what stage of her pregnancy she is in.
What if you decide not to get sick, and have had the flu before? Is it really more dangerous to contract in your pregnancy?
While the flu when not pregnant is serious, the flu in a pregnant woman can lead more quickly to serious consequences. Hydration is very important to a developing baby and amniotic fluid levels during pregnancy and is the number one reason many pregnant who develop the flu become hospitalized. While the flu itself is attacking the mother’s immune system and not that of the baby, any compromising to this system can have negative effects on the mother’s ability to continue to go about daily activities. The bottom line; developing the flu during pregnancy will definitely make mothers very sick, and most likely result in needing a hospital stay to regain strength and health.
While the flu shot does come with the chance of side effects that exhibit flu-like symptoms, mainly soreness, redness, and/or swelling from the shot, fainting, headache, fever, muscle aches, nausea and fatigue, most of these are temporary and considerably mild in comparison to the full blown flu.
Is it possible to get through pregnancy without the flu vaccine? Certainly. No one can say you WILL contract the flu, and taking precautions to avoid illness is a recommendation shared widely. Talk with your care provider about what works best for you to keep yourself healthy this season!
Yorumlar