Flu jab...?

[Babycakes100]

Hi everyone, I'm 8w+2 and have been contacted by the doctor to say um eligible for the flu jab. Have you or are you going to have it? I know it's fully recommended but can't help but feel a bit uneasy about it

I'm a scientist and I also work in drug development so I know what I'm on about here... ;)

You can't run a study specifically on pregnant women unless you hit very specific criteria. But that does not mean this vaccine hasn't been tested in pregnancy.
When a vaccine is released, any and all 'adverse reactions' are reported and collated by professionals. This process carries on for many years. If issues are identified the drug/vaccine would be pulled (and it does happen, vioxx is an example .)

Anyway, an awful lot of pregnant women have had this jab and the safety profile is really good. It's a very safe vaccine. Before a vaccine is added to the schedule here in the uk it has to be passed by a number of expert panels and they only do that with a solid body of evidence behind them.

There is a LOT of shit on the web regarding anything medical. Lots. Tons. And it can sound very frightening and 'proper' unless you know what's what.

Flu, on the other hand, is nasty. It's nasty for a healthy adult (I had it and got pneumonia and I was early 30s and very fit.) it's more severe in pregnancy- during the last flu outbreak a disproportionate number of the dead were pregnant women.

The risk of having a serious adverse reaction to a vaccine is tiny. You can have a reaction to pretty much any substance on earth- some poor unfortunates can't touch water for example, but that doesn't mean water is inherently bad.
The risk of getting flu however, is quite large, as is the risk of getting very sick with it.

Ignore the Internet scaremongers. Listen to the scientific evidence. Have the jab.

I had mine at 8 weeks at my booking appointment. She said there were only a few left at my surgery

Thanks for sharing that Skiptonlass, very well put and sensible advice :)

Yes I had it. Total non event. Wasn't going to bother but consultant told me you're 3x more likely to die of flu in pregnancy so no brainier! Who knew!

Hi Baby I guess I trusted the recommendations from the healthcare professionals. I got the flu jab at 18 weeks and had the whooping cough vaccine today at 29 weeks. From what I've been told, it's a good idea, but of course it's up to you. Note to self: try not to add this to my list of pregnancy worries

Had the flu jab and the whooping cough one too. It was an absolute no-brainer. No side effects for me (apart from a bit of a sore arm after the whooping cough one).

Not being a medical professional, I trust them when they recommend something. I just don't believe that they're casually recommeding stuff that isn't properly tested and that doesn't have strong evidence for the benefits. I believe that they actually care about the people they work with (midwives certainly aren't in it for the great pay and benefits).

Yes, medical advice changes and vaccine ingredients may be phased out - that's science, it changes all the time to keep up with the best evidence out there.

What did women do pre-2009? Well, they got flu and a had a miserable time fighting it off because of their lowered immunity. They got flu and had complications, possibly resulting in harm to their babies (see here, which says that flu complications can cause neural tube defects, congenital abnormalities, and increased cancer risk). Or, worse of all, they died (see here).

Also, there is no proven link between the HPV vaccine (cervical cancer jab) and the really sad situations that some girls have found themselves in (see what the World Health Organisation say).

I'm not sure that the only relevant data is UK from 2009. As far as I understand, our American cousins have been getting flu vaccinations in pregnancy for much longer. This certainly helped me to decide to get it for dd1. Have had it for dc2 and current pregnancy.

You are nearly out of flu season though, so it's less risky to give it a miss.

I personally wouldn't use that as I reason not to get it. Southern Hemisphere flu season then starts and with the way we are all so connected by air travel it's still quite easy to pick it up.