Tinyike

My workplace expects its employees to get several immunizations regularly. But I’m 5 months pregnant and scared of what the vaccines might do to my baby. Should I be concerned?
- Emma

It’s best to wait until after your pregnancy for most vaccines, but a few are considered safe during pregnancy. These include: influenza (but only the shot made with the inactivated virus), hepatitis B, meningococcus, rabies, and tetanus/diphtheria.

A doctor might recommend that a pregnant woman get immunized during pregnancy if all of the following are true:

there’s a good chance that she could be exposed to a particular infection
the infection would pose a risk to her or the baby
the vaccine is unlikely to cause harm
For example, the influenza shot is recommended for all women who will be in their second or third trimester of pregnancy during flu season because:

during flu season, exposure to the virus is high
pregnant women — especially those in late pregnancy — are at increased risk for severe symptoms from the flu the vaccine is safe for pregnant women

Reviewed by: Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph, MD
Date reviewed: May 2006