How safe is the swine flu shot for pregnant women?

renee | Comments 0

shot No drug testing exists for pregnant women. Why? Because it’s deemed unethical. What if something happens to the fetus?

This year, pregnant women across the U.S. are being told that they are in the highest risk group for the swine flu infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control “Adverse pregnancy outcomes have been reported following previous influenza pandemics, with increased rates of spontaneous abortion and preterm birth reported, especially among women with pneumonia.” (for the full article, click here)

Many women wonder what the drug will do to their unborn child. Will the shot contain thimerosal a mercury-based preservative that has been banned from other vaccines but still used in many flu shots? According to the March of Dimes “Babies who are exposed to mercury while in the womb can suffer severe damage to the nervous system and may die. They may have brain damage, learning disabilities and hearing loss.”

Also causing fear is the 1976 Swine Flu vaccination program where over 500 individuals came down with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurodegentrative disease.

Since we’re being told that the regular seasonal flu shot will not protect against the H1N1 virus, what are pregnant women to do? Run the risk of contracting the virus or run the risk of getting an untested shot?

Aside from getting the shot, or if you do decide to get the shot, you can protect yourself from swine flu, seasonal flu and colds by doing the following:

Wash your hands. Sing “Happy Birthday” while doing it to ensure you are washing long enough to kill all the germs.
Bring an alcohol based hand-sanitizer with you when you go out and use it often especially after touching community objects like grocery cart handles and door handles.
Stay away from sick people if you can.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. This is the #1 way germs are spread.

This pregnant woman for one will be focusing on hand washing, and carrying around Germ-X wipes just like she did the previous winter when she was pregnant. I’ll also be asking my OB his opinion on the shot as it never hurts to get your physician’s advice.

For more information on avoiding the flu, visit the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/preventing.htm.

Photo: Influenza Vaccine by AJC1 courtesey Flickr Creative Common License.

Filed Under: For New Moms • Moms Health