Rubella jab - definitely needed?

[1001questions]

I've just had all the usual tests run for TTC and have found out I don't have immunity to rubella. This is a bit of a surprise as I definitely had the jab as at school (I remember it well as I was a wuss about needles, cried, and other students took the mickey out of me for months) but for whatever reason it didn't work. Probably didn't help that I was running away while they did it...

Anyway, just wondering what to expect with getting the jab done in adulthood, which I understand will need to be the full MMR. I'm apprehensive about this not because of the now-debunked autism claims (I'm mildly aspie anyway so hardly a big deal for me!) but because of the fact that it's a lot of medication at once, some that I don't need and I worry about side effects of everything.

I have had most of the illnesses in childhood (mumps definitely which was grim, will never forget that experience and pprobably measles) as I did not have the immunisations that are recommended in infancy due to my Mum's concerns for me as a baby. But rubella was given to teenagers in my day so it is odd that it hasn't worked.

Also I'm sad about that delay in ttc that this will cause because my partner and I are super old :(

I guess if I have to have it, I have to have it but (a) did anyone decide against it as rubella is so rare and (b) are the side effects bad in adults? Please be honest.

[pippistrelle]

I considered it much better to have the MMR rather than spend a pregnancy with a slight worry that I might catch rubella. Imagine knowing that you could have prevented harm, but hadn't taken that option for whatever reason: that must be a lot to live with.

To be honest, I didn't give a lot of thought to any side effects that I might have because a) I'm not all that risk averse anyway so I tend not to worry about this sort of thing; and b) the sense of responsibility I felt for any future baby outweighed any minor worries I might have had.

In any event, there were no side effects, and that is how it is for the vast majority of people.

[CelticPromise]

There are loads of women who conceive with no idea that they are not immune to rubella, and it is now rare enough that NHS England is stopping routine immunity screening for it in pregnancy. It's not that unusual to fail to develop immunity, and you can also fail to develop immunity after MMR. I'm very pro vaccines, but unless I was in a particularly high risk job I wouldn't have the MMR I don't think, the risk is small enough to me. But it depends how you feel about it.

[Andysgirl15]

I have had 5 yes 5 mmr jabs and I'm still not immune against rubella. My doctor doesn't see the point in giving me anymore as it's just not working. I was just told to be careful as I'm pregnant and to avoid ill people. If you do decide to have the jab you can't conceive for 3 months. You need to ask yourself if it's worth it. Do you want to delay ttc for 3 month only to realise the jab still hasn't worked like it doesn't in my case.

[1001questions]

Andysgirl, I think my feelings on this tally mostly with yours as it seems possible that if it didn't work once it might not work again. I think I'd be more worried about accidentally conceiving soon after the innoculation than catching it without having it done, but I'll worthy either way.

[closephine85]

I found out I was not immune to rubella whilst pregnant with my ds. As soon as he was born it was insisted that I have the jab (I wasn't given an option I don't think!) before leaving hospital. We are now struggling to conceive number two and as a result of blood tests I found i am still not immune. I did a lot of research about delaying Ttc as when you have been trying for two years, 3 months is a long delay! But I discovered that 3 months are the old recommendation and it is now just one month delay. I have had the jab again, no idea if it's worked but if it hasn't this time, I dont think it ever will. But it's better to have the jab and at least try for immunity than to put a baby at risk.

[maplebaby]

1001 I had the first MMR jab at school but never had the second follow up/top up I was supposed to have at uni. I ended up catching mumps at uni!

I went to see the doctor before TTC and mentioned it to him and he pulled out the jab and did it there and then! It was fine, I had no side effects but I was told not to TTC for one month.

Luckily I decided I'd rather have it than have the worry (even though it sounds rare!) but I wasn't expecting him to do it during the appointment!

[Spam88]

Hi 1001. As maplebaby and closephine have said, it's actually only 1 month you shouldn't ttc for, so it isn't that long in the grand scheme of things. I don't know about the old rubella jab, but with the MMR you're certainly supposed to have 2 doses, so if you only had the one then maybe that's why you're not immune? Like maplebaby I only had one MMR jab at school (apparently my year got missed for the booster somehow...) so I had my second one when I was about 16 and didn't have any side effects :)