flu jabs

[CatIsSleepy]

is it recommended to get a flu jab if you're pregnant? i meant to ask the midwife last week, but being pregant, I totally forgot
anyone know?

I don't think you are supposed to have the flu jab if you are pregnant. I asked the nurse and she said they didn't reccomend it as they was no research if it did any harm or not.

oh i see, ta

No that is untrue, Vinegar. If you require a flu jab for being in an at risk group it is better to get the flu jab than not.

The recommendations are that if possible: 1) you use a thiomersil (mercury) free version of the jab, which many are 2) wait until 13 weeks to have it. However, if you can't get mercury free version then mercury containing version is acceptable.

There has been a report recently suggesting that ALL pregnant women should have the flu jab (sorry no link) as the benefits outweigh the risks. I don't think this is policy yet though.

You will find a lot of ignorance on this though - first pg the nurse refused to do the jab because I was pregnant, even when I asked her to look up the recommendations.

Yes. Pregnant women who have medical conditions that increase their risk of complications from influenza should be vaccinated before the influenza season, regardless of the stage of pregnancy. There is no evidence of risk from vaccinating pregnant women or those who are breast-feeding with inactivated virus vaccines. Pregnant women should preferably receive a thiomersal-free influenza vaccine. If a thiomersalfree vaccine is not available then a thiomersal containing vaccine should be given. The benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks, if any, of exposure to thiomersal-containing vaccines.

mmm how strange as I saw my gp yesterday and she said they wont give flu jab if you are pregnant

Ask them to actually look it up before they tell you that, omeNofthefleshes - that was what my GP said initially too, until I said that I'd researched it and thought it was okay.

ah thanks for that mrsg and arena
was actually just thinking that surely the vaccine can't be any worse than an actual dose of flu..
will try very hard to remember to ask the midwives next time!

Cat, you probably will need to get the vaccine from the Practice Nurse. If you need to get a mercury free version (my own practice already uses a mercury free brand so I didn't need to) then your GP might need to prescribe it, so you will either need a nurse appt. or a doctor's - don't bother with the midwife, it's not her area. Just contact the Practice and get it sorted out direct with them (I had a phone appt with the Nurse to establish what I needed then just booked into the ordinary flu clinic)

Oh should also say, this is vaccine season, you need to get yourself booked in as sometimes practices run out of shots, so I wouldn't wait for your next MW appt.

ok thanks again mrsg