When should vaccinations be done during pregnancy? What can you be vaccinated against?

Are vaccinations during pregnancy safe and make sense?

The timing of pregnancy and the changes in a woman’s body that occur then can affect the course of various infections. Heavier pregnant women undergo influenza, hepatitis B, chickenpox, as well as tetanus or diphtheria, among others. With vaccination, complications of infection can be avoided for both mother and child.

Among pregnant women, live vaccines should definitely not be used. This is due to the potential risk of infection and disease in the fetus. And there are no scientific reports that live vaccines cause birth defects in children. Live vaccines include smallpox or measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines. Their administration should be withheld until the baby is born.

The only fully safe vaccines are the so-called inactivated ones, which contain killed microorganisms or, for example, only their fragments. Such vaccinations include: the vaccine against influenza, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, polio or hepatitis B. In addition, there are also some vaccines recommended before traveling to tropical countries such as the one against typhoid fever and Japanese encephalitis.

What vaccinations should be done during pregnancy?

Two of the previously mentioned inactivated vaccines are especially recommended for pregnant women. This group includes the influenza vaccine and the vaccination for pertussis, tetanus and diphtheria (dTpa).

• Pertussis vaccine during pregnancy

Pertussis is a very serious infection especially for the youngest children. Most of them have to go to the hospital. However, when a woman is vaccinated against pertussis during pregnancy, her body produces antibodies that are passed on to the baby and provide protection until the baby itself can be vaccinated. This significantly reduces the risk of disease in the newborn. The optimal time for a booster dose of dTpa is between 28. a 32. week of pregnancy (3rd trimester)

• Flu vaccine during pregnancy

As we mentioned earlier, a woman’ s immune system is weakened during pregnancy, so it is more difficult for her to fight infections. Moms-to-be are at risk of a more severe course of influenza because of this, and are more likely to end up in the hospital due to its complications. Influenza virus infections during the season affect about 10% of pregnant women. However, there are more arguments for flu vaccination during pregnancy. Among other things, a baby has a higher risk of prematurity and low birth weight after a mother’s infection. There are also studies talking about the possible teratogenic effect of the influenza virus especially in the first trimester, which can lead, for example, to the development of heart defects in the fetus. Women with asthma, cardiac problems or reduced  immunity should especially consider this vaccination. Influenza vaccination in pregnant women can be done in any trimester of pregnancy, optimally in the second or third.

Vaccinations before pregnancy

Before pregnancy, during the preconception period, both live and inactivated vaccines can be vaccinated. Until recently, it was believed that after the last dose of the live vaccine, a woman should wait a minimum of three months before getting pregnant, but this has now been reduced to one month.

Doctors recommend that previously unvaccinated women or those who have not undergone a particular infectious disease should be vaccinated against rubella, mumps, chickenpox or measles before they become pregnant. They can also then get vaccinated against influenza or whooping cough, and against hepatitis B.

Vaccination before pregnancy is very important due to the very high risk of fetal birth defects posed by, for example, contracting rubella, especially occurring in the first trimester of pregnancy.

It is worth remembering that of great importance in planning vaccination in an expecting woman is her vaccination history and the presence of produced antibodies in the body. Every mother-to-be should therefore discuss the topic of vaccinations during pregnancy with her gynecologist, who will suggest the best solution for her.

If the Parents-to-be have decided to collect and store cord blood, they should always inform the bank about past infections during pregnancy. The important thing is that in most cases they do not disqualify stem cell donations. Read more information in our FAQ – questions and answers

Bibliography:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/vaccinations-pregnant/

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pregnancy/index.html

https://szczepienia.pzh.gov.pl/

Position of OPZG and PTGiP experts on influenza vaccination of pregnant women