Is the flu vaccine safe duing pregnancy?

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I ususally have the flu jab every year as I have asthma but thought whilst I am pregnant I won't have it done. I then read that it can be very dangerous to DD if I get flu whilst I am pregnant and am now thinking I should have it done but want to know if it is safe? I have asked the doctor who did not know, the midwife did not know and the nurse at the GP advised against it. I have looked into it myself and have read that it is safe but then have read that it isn't as it contains mercury. Wondered if anyone knew anything about it?

I personally wouldn't/didn't when I was pregnant because of the mercury aspect (I too am asthmatic), but then I've never regularly had the flu jab (although I probably should).

However, I do know a flu epidemiologist so I'll see if I can get her opinion on what she sees as the pros/cons.

I had it when I was pregnant. I was told it was completely safe, and even more important for an asthmatic when you are pregnant, because uncontrolled asthma is especially bad during pregnancy. Also, the winter I was pregnant with DD2 I was a single parent with a 2 year old - getting the flu would have been very bad.

Okay, this is a little involved, but this is the response I got . If I've not relayed it well, query it and I'll try and explain better.

First, she stresses she's not a medical professional so not qualified to give medical advice.

She doesn't know anything about the mercury side of things, so you'd need to look further into that, if that worries you.

Studies suggest that it is safe in pregnancy.

I'll copy/paste the next bit: "This is the first year that "Fujian" will be in the vaccine for the North hemisphere. Yes, this is considered to be a non-contraversial year by the experts, there is NO sign of anything out of the ordinary, and my info is up to date as of 2 weeks ago. This is as confident as we can be of a good match.

The Fujian component of the vaccine has been used in the southern hemisphere during their winter (our summer) so it has been well and truly tested!

But.. vaccines always have risks, and these need to be balanced against the risk of non-vaccination. If as a pregnant asthmatic she is hit by a full bout of flu, that is potentially problematic.

One additional point.. ask her if she thinks she had flu last year. If she did, then this years vaccine may not add anything. If she didn't, she should think about it seriously as Fujian hadn't circulated before last winter, so she would most likely be susceptible.

I would trust the CDC info:

Who Should Get "

She also said she will be getting vaccinated this year.

Hope this extra info helps.

I would be worried about the mercury side of things- but there may be brands that are thimerosil free. Worth asking anyway. Any high temp is bad during pregnancy (especially in the early months) so that is the main concern with the flu itself and pregnancy. Of course being asthmatic adds another dimension about which I know very little.

Found some more information on the NHS site:

hope this link works!

Apparently, pregnant women should preferably receive the mercury free flu vaccine (I understand from this and the CDC site, that there are limited numbers of the mercury free version and that pregnant women would get priority on them). You should push for this if you decide to go ahead with the flu vaccine.

LOL ... but then to confuse matters the same site says not to get vaccinated when you're pregnant:

see here

rolls eyes

I also saw something (newspaper I think so perhaps not the most reliable source...) that said that there seemed to be a link between contracting flu in the early stages of pregnancy and schizophrenia later on in the baby. Don't know whether that would be the same if you were exposed to the vaccine only (doubt anyone would yet), but then if you went on to have the flu without the vaccine - your damned if you do and damned if you don't like so many of these things. Sorry this is an incredibly unhelpful post isn't it?

In America the flu vaccine is actually recommended for pregnant women. But when I've been pregnant here (5 yrs ago and 2 yrs ago) my doctors were against it. It's possible the thinking here has chanaged by now, though. I find that often (but not always) medicine is a few steps ahead in the US.

I was ill with 3 flu-like infections while pregnant with dd, once each trimester, a fever each time. DD is fine at the moment, but I do worry about the long term effects on her brain, as maternal viral infections are increasingly thought to be linked to conditions such as schizophrenia, which present in adolescence/adulthood. I say that not to panic anyone who has had flu in pregnancy, but to state some recent findings that might sway one's decision to get or not to get the flu vaccine in pregnancy.

Staying away from a vaccine with mercury seems sensible.

I went to get my 'flu jab last autumn and was told definitely not to have it as I admitted that I was going to be trying for a baby. I was told I could only have it if I made sure I didn't get pregnant within 3 months and I didn't want to wait that long to try, so went without.

Having said that, I only have mild asthma and I hadn't had the 'flu jab before.

I think the standard guidelines are that it shouldn't be given to pregnant women and you shouldn't get pregnant within 3 months afterwards. However, ALL medicines state that they should not be given in pregnancy as it's impossible to conduct clinical trials to assess the safety of medicines in pregnant women. However, there are plenty of drugs that people do safely take in pregnancy as the risk of the disease being treated is much greater than the risk from the medication. So it's a case of weighing up the risks and benefits - certainly it's important that asthma is controlled in pregnancy. Not sure what the risks of getting 'flu are?

Sorry if that's actually not much help! I haven't read the thread fully and other people have probably got much more useful advice.

I had it last year when I was pg - I was told it was OK after the first trimester. I was ill during my pregnancy with a chronic kidney condition and so it was advised.

Thanks for all your advice. Its very confusing. Would happily not have it done this year but am worried if I did get flu it could be more damaging!! Maybe the answer is to move to a nice hot country....wouldn't that be nice.

Wouldn't help, yellow - lots of parts of asia are nice and hot, but guess where most strains of flu come from

I asked my private GP for the flu jab today (I usually get one as I have asthma). He asked if I've ever been hospitalized for my asthma and when I said no he said well in that case I shouldn't have it