It is recommended that women who are pregnant get a flu shot to protect themselves against severe flu or influenza. Regular changes in the immune system during pregnancy can make it more likely that a pregnant person will get very sick from the flu and end up in the hospital or even die. Research has shown that getting the flu shot during pregnancy at any time is safe. It can help protect the pregnant and baby from flu-related health problems during and after pregnancy. Read further to learn more about getting the flu vaccine during pregnancy.
Purpose Of Flu Shot
The annual flu shot (vaccine) strengthens your immune system & commands it to make antibodies that protect against the respiratory flu virus, which can spread easily. It makes it less likely that you will get sick. During pregnancy, the immune system, heart, and lungs undergo changes that make pregnant women more likely to have severe flu symptoms and complications. When people get sick, they may need to go to the hospital.
Even if you are healthy and pregnant, your body may still have trouble fighting a flu infection. You might have trouble breathing, a high fever, and other serious problems. If you get a flu shot during pregnancy, you are less likely to get sick from the flu virus. If you are vaccinated, you will recover soon if you do get the virus. Getting a flu shot during pregnancy can cut by an average of 40% the chance that a pregnant person will be hospitalized with the flu.
Importance Of Flu Shot During Pregnancy
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that pregnant women are more prone to get very sick from the flu than other women of childbearing age who are not pregnant (CDC). The CDC says pregnant women or those who have just given birth in the last two weeks are at high risk for flu complications. Since women are more likely to get sick, they should get the flu vaccine during pregnancy, which is especially important and highly recommended. There are a few rare exceptions, though. Getting a flu shot during pregnancy can be helpful in more ways than just protecting against the flu and its complications.
1. Protects The Baby
Babies are more likely to get very sick from the flu, but they can't get a flu shot until they are six months old. If the people who care for a baby are vaccinated against the flu, the baby is less likely to get it. Also, when a woman gets a flu shot during pregnancy, she passes antibodies to her baby that help protect the baby from the virus until the baby can get a flu shot.
Protects The Baby
2. Prevents Potential Health Problems
A fever during pregnancy, a common sign of the flu, is linked to birth defects in the brain and spine (a category of serious birth defects). Getting the flu while pregnant may make it more likely that the baby will be small for its gestational age or have a low birth weight.
3. Reduces Pregnancy Complications
People who are pregnant and get the flu are more likely to have complications like early labor and birth, a miscarriage, or stillbirth than pregnant people who don't get the flu.
Safety And Side Effects Of Flu Shot During Pregnancy
Many nations have urged pregnant women to receive the seasonal flu vaccine for many years. There can be some risks of getting a flu shot while pregnant, but this is generally not the case. According to a growing number of studies, it is safe throughout the pregnancy, including the first three months, and it dramatically reduces the chance of serious complications for the mother and the unborn child.
The flu shot side effects during pregnancy that too in the first three months were the subject of a 2017 study published in the United States. More than 52,000 newborns who received the flu vaccine during the first three months of their mother's pregnancies were screened for birth defects. By comparing this group to about 370,000 newborns who had not gotten the flu vaccine, the study indicated that taking the flu vaccine during early pregnancy was not associated with an increased risk of birth defects.
Typically, consequences endure one to two days. Since inactivated influenza vaccinations lack active viruses, they cannot transmit the disease. The most often reported risks of getting a flu shot while pregnant or side effects, in general, include pain, bruising, swelling, hardness, or redness at the injection site. In addition, you may have a fever, headache, aching muscles or joints, trembling, etc.
Conclusion
Getting a flu shot during pregnancy is important for a reason: to protect yourself, your baby, and other people who could get sick from the flu and become very sick. Over many years, millions of pregnant women have gotten the flu shot, and it has a good safety record. Flu shots during pregnancy are so important that if flu shots are in short supply, the CDC recommends that pregnant women and babies older than six months get flu shots first. Thank you for reading to the end. We hope you found what you were looking for.