Vaccines During Pregnancy
Important vaccines during pregnancy
- Influenza. Women who will be pregnant during the influenza season should receive the inactivated flu vaccine. Pregnant women are at increased risk for influenza-related complications that require hospitalization.
- Hepatitis B. Because many people do not know that they are infected with hepatitis B virus and because an infant can get the disease at birth from an infected mother, your obstetrician will perform a blood test to determine whether you are infected with hepatitis B. If you are, your baby will be given a vaccine and an antibody preparation shortly after birth to prevent him or her from getting the disease.
- Tdap. During each pregnancy, women should receive a dose of Tdap vaccine between 27 and 36 weeks’ gestation. Women who did not receive the vaccine during pregnancy should get it immediately after giving birth.
- Pneumococcal. If a woman is considered high-risk for pneumococcal disease, she should get this vaccine. High-risk conditions include chronic disorders of the pulmonary system (but not asthma), cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, chronic liver diseases, chronic renal failure, asplenia (including sickle cell disease), immunosuppressive conditions (e.g., HIV, leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, Hodgkin's disease, generalized malignancy, or organ or bone marrow transplantation), treatment with certain medications, or cochlear implants.
Vaccines to avoid during pregnancy
- Live, attenuated influenza vaccine. Even though a woman is recommended to receive the influenza vaccine while pregnant, she should not receive the live version of the vaccine.
- MMR. Women who are pregnant should not receive live, weakened viral vaccines, including the ones for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR). A woman should avoid becoming pregnant for four weeks after receipt of this vaccine.
- Varicella or shingles. As with MMR, these vaccines contain a live, weakened virus and should not be given to pregnant women. Additionally, women should avoid becoming pregnant for at least one month after receipt of either of these vaccines.
- HPV. Women who have started the three-dose series before becoming pregnant should wait until after delivery to get the remaining doses.
If you have inadvertently received any of these vaccines during pregnancy, you should be aware that none has been proven to be harmful to your unborn baby. The recommendation to avoid these vaccines is theoretical. In some cases, databases are maintained by the manufacturers to track these occurrences, so if you receive one of these vaccines, you or your doctor should report it to the manufacturer:
- Varicella-containing vaccines (Varicella, MMRV, or Shingles) should call 800-986-8999.
- HPV vaccines: For Gardasil® call 800-986-8999; for Cervarix® call 888-452-9622.
Reviewed by: Paul A. Offit, MD
Date: October 2012
Materials in this section are updated as new information and vaccines become available. The Vaccine Education Center staff regularly reviews materials for accuracy.
You should not consider the information in this site to be specific, professional medical advice for your personal health or for your family's personal health. You should not use it to replace any relationship with a physician or other qualified healthcare professional. For medical concerns, including decisions about vaccinations, medications and other treatments, you should always consult your physician or, in serious cases, seek immediate assistance from emergency personnel.
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