Need advice on vaccine when pregnant

[Disabrie22]

Have an underlying heart condition and I’m in the third trimester. This is classed as a high risk pregnancy due to age and intense fertility treatment to get there. It is my first child.
My sister has the same condition and experienced extreme side effects to the vaccine and has been blue lighted to hospital twice. They took a couple of months to recover. We have a close family of very prem babies.
I am worried the vacccine will bring on Labour - what would you do?

My understanding is that general medical advice is that pregnant women should be vaccinated as pregnancy is a risk factor if you catch covid and will mean you have a more severe dose of covid and can also effect the baby.
You have a specific medical condition which you are concerned about. They have still advised you to get vaccinated. But you want Pfizer not AZ. Pfizer is linked to heart palpitations and you have a heart condition. Maybe that’s why they want you to have AZ
I would find out why they think you should have AZ. I would also see if you can be vaccinated at the hospital so if anything does go wrong you are right there.

I would either follow medical advice or shield completely until you give birth

Still according to the studies appears to be an independently protective factor, especially in the case of concurrent O type status.

Agh, this has not been proven, and even if it had been, advising a very high risk pregnant woman with a heart condition to consider not taking the vaccine based on blood type is not responsible when no public health bodies consider blood type in their risk profiling for COVID.

In the unscientific cohort of my workplace during a sustained covid outbreak, only the four (known) O-ve staff members escaped covid infection.
I feel it pertinent to add that none except for a sixty six year old, obese lady of A+ve type had anything more than cold symptoms.
Assumed alpha variant due to outbreaks in Jan/Feb 2021.

No patients of known type O blood died as a result of covid infection despite age >65 and comorbidities in all cases.

No public health bodies will dare mention decreased susceptibility due to blood type even if they are fully cognisant of this effect.

How could they mandate lockdowns if they did?

It doesn't, admittedly at this juncture make sense for them to do so.
Still doesn't change the emergent facts which will become ever more emergent as time passes and we are granted the candour we are deserving of.

And I am advising OP of nothing.

I asked some questions so that she may assess her individual risk.
Even within the midst of a pandemic we remain individuals with our own risk vs benefit profiles re the vaccine.

She is pregnant. If she can shield in any way that is surely the safest avenue for both her and her unborn child.

@ZednotZee

No public health bodies will dare mention decreased susceptibility due to blood type even if they are fully cognisant of this effect.

How could they mandate lockdowns if they did?

It doesn't, admittedly at this juncture make sense for them to do so.
Still doesn't change the emergent facts which will become ever more emergent as time passes and we are granted the candour we are deserving of.

And I am advising OP of nothing.

I asked some questions so that she may assess her individual risk.
Even within the midst of a pandemic we remain individuals with our own risk vs benefit profiles re the vaccine.

She is pregnant. If she can shield in any way that is surely the safest avenue for both her and her unborn child.

No public health bodies will dare mention decreased susceptibility due to blood type even if they are fully cognisant of this effect.

How could they mandate lockdowns if they did?

What on earth??
This exact question has many many studies, which have been reported in MSM - hardly looks like anyone's trying to hide the information?

Why publicise the factors that are protective for COVID at all (young age, female sex, white ethnicity, low BMI) if this means they can't "mandate lockdowns"?

Is it possible for you to avoid the risk of covid for the rest of the pregnancy by isolating seen as you are already in the third trimester? If so I’d just wait until the baby has been born seen as nobody can calculate the risk. If you work in a public facing role and can’t change that (by going on maternity leave for example) then I appreciate it’s more difficult.

Young age, apparently not re delta
Female sex, apparently not re long covid
White ethnicity, and yet the majority of those who have expired due to covid are white.
Low BMI, I haven't seen any studies which support this presumption independent of sex, age, ethnicity or SEC. Have you?

The media haven't given us any protective factors which are seemingly independent of other factors, and yet you expect the blood type hypothesis to do exactly that?

What on Earth indeed.

@Disabrie22

I would go back to your medical team - if you're in the UK ask why they're recommending AZ over Pfizer and get them to go through the pros and cons. As far as I know, there are no specific conditions except for certain allergies that preclude pregnant women from having the vaccine, as the benefits outweigh the potential risks.
Only your medical team have the relevant information to help you make an informed decision but I appreciate it must be hard if you disorder is very rare. As suggested by a PP - are there any specialists/research groups looking into your condition? Or specific patient forums?

You cannot take advice from random people on MN who know nothing about you or medicine (no-one actually qualified would advise a stranger)- and the CV board always seems to be worse late at night.

Do you not believe that given the circumstances the OP is best served by shielding and vaccinating post partum?

If she can realistically do so, of course.

Why must she seemingly risk vaccination if she can keep herself safe from covid by other means?

@ZednotZee

Do you not believe that given the circumstances the OP is best served by shielding and vaccinating post partum?

If she can realistically do so, of course.

Why must she seemingly risk vaccination if she can keep herself safe from covid by other means?

I'm not sure what kind of agenda you're posting with @ZednotZee, but it's not looking great.

I have advised the poster to talk to her medical team, as they are the only ones who know her and her situation. At no point have I said she should get vaccinated as a) I'm not a cardiologist and b) I know nothing about her medical history.

With respect, I am not posting with regard to 'looking good' to you.

You have accused me of advising the OP where I merely asked what I believe and I'm pretty sure her cardiologist will agree to be pertinent questions.

The only advice I have offered is to shield if she possibly can. Presumably her medical team are noncommittal for whatever reason and so under the circumstances shielding appears to be her safest option. For both herself, her baby and her continued peace of mind.

@ZednotZee

With respect, I am not posting with regard to 'looking good' to you.

You have accused me of advising the OP where I merely asked what I believe and I'm pretty sure her cardiologist will agree to be pertinent questions.

The only advice I have offered is to shield if she possibly can. Presumably her medical team are noncommittal for whatever reason and so under the circumstances shielding appears to be her safest option. For both herself, her baby and her continued peace of mind.

Chuckling to myself slightly at the idea of a cardiologist thinking asking about blood type to determine COVID risk would be a "pertinent question" and using it to advise a patient.

The OP has stated they have advised vaccination, not that they are non-committal. You cannot in any way claim that shielding instead of vaccination is her "safest option" and it's wildly irresponsible posting.

I don't think this thread will last too long though given the posts it's attracting.

She stated that due to the rarity of her condition herself and her family members are in a position of needing to educate her medical team.
Due to this I can appreciate her hesitancy to accept their recommendation re the vaccine.
Particularly as they are pushing AZ and refusing Pfizer for whatever reason.

Furthermore many medics are in support of the blood type susceptibility hypothesis in my own experience.
Perhaps her cardiologist has availed themselves of the emerging studies. Perhaps not.

Neither you, nor I can be certain of that.

Sering as said cardiologist doesn't appear to have been much help to OP thus far in to her third trimester, perhaps that is entirely academic in any instance.

Furthermore I don't feel I need to be qualified in cardiology to urge OP to limit her contact with others until birth/better advice is forthcoming which sufficiently allays her fears.
Cardiologists didn't hold the preserve of common sense the last time I checked.

Wishing you a healthy pregnancy and delivery OP.
If I were you I would lock myself away until Labour day.
Others may, of course disagree.

@Disabrie22, pregnancy is tough on the lungs, so Covid can have a devastating impact on the mother, forcing an early delivery of the baby. This case has been in the news recently: www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-58309750.amp If you have any questions about the vaccine recommendation please speak to your consultant.

Your medical team have advised you to get the jab. You are an extremely high risk pregnancy.

No one on this forum is going to be better able to advise you than them.

I really hope you follow the advice of your own medical team and get the jab.

Unless medically indicated (e.g. anaphylaxis to specific ingredients) and you would happily take Pfizer (did I understand correctly?) I’d be gobsmaked if your medical team wouldn’t move heaven and earth to get you vaccinated

The jab wasn’t really advised - it was suggested rather aggressively by my midwife. I asked not to have AZ because of my sister snd they refused - the attitude was you must take what you are offered. My sister is 0neg and I am 0positive - not the first time I have heard people talk about 0neg being some sort of super blood. Her children are Bpos and have not inherited the condition - I’m not a scientist so can’t really comment.

We do have a medic in the family though (retired) who think I should be offered Pfizer. I’m in outer London.