Expert Answers: Will flu vaccine harm my unborn child?

In pregnancy, the immune system is naturally suppressed. This means that pregnant women are more likely to catch flu and, if they do catch it, they are more likely to develop complications (see below).

However, your immune system still functions and the risk of complications is very small. Most pregnant women will only have mild symptoms.

Symptoms and risks

If you are pregnant and you catch H1N1 (swine) flu, the symptoms should be similar to those of regular flu.

You will typically have a fever or high temperature (over 38C/100.4F) and two or more of the following:

unusual tiredness

headache

runny nose

sore throat

loss of appetite

aching muscles

diarrhoea or vomiting

shortness of breath or cough

Most pregnant women will have only mild symptoms and recover within a week. However, there is evidence from previous flu pandemics that pregnant women are more likely to develop complications.

Possible complications are:

pneumonia (an infection of the lungs)

difficulty breathing

dehydration

In pregnant women, these are more likely to happen in the second and third trimester.

If a pregnant woman develops a complication of H1N1 flu, such as pneumonia, there is a small chance this will lead to premature labour or miscarriage.

There is not yet enough information to know precisely how likely these birth risks are.

The advice of the Department of Health is to take precautions against H1N1 flu.

If you are pregnant, you can reduce your risk of infection by avoiding unnecessary travel and avoiding crowds where possible.

Good hygiene is essential as a way of preventing the spread of the virus among the population.

If you think you may have H1N1 flu, call your doctor for an assessment. Your doctor will advise you what to do if they think you have flu.

Unless you have H1N1 flu symptoms, carry on attending your antenatal appointments to monitor the progress of your pregnancy.

Pregnant women are being offered the H1N1 (swine) flu vaccination. The vaccine is recommended for all pregnant women, whatever the stage of the pregnancy. This includes pregnant women not in high-risk groups (who have not previously been vaccinated against swine flu).

There is no evidence that inactivated vaccines, such as the H1N1 flu vaccine, will cause any harm to pregnant women or their unborn baby. Every year, the seasonal flu vaccine is given to pregnant women who are at risk of seasonal flu.

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency has given a clear recommendation that the GlaxoSmithKline vaccine Pandemrix can be given safely to all pregnant

women.

Paul Charlson

GP from Brough

Swine flu is likely to be prevalent this winter again and pregnant women are at risk of becoming very unwell if they contract the disease with additional risk to their unborn child.

The swine flu vaccination is being offered to pregnant women free this year as a result. Your GP practice should be able to supply and administer this to you.

It is not 100 per cent effective but should greatly reduce your risk of contracting the disease. It is not a live virus vaccination so it will not cause you to contract a mild form of the disease and is safe in pregnancy.

Elaine Douglas

A chartered psychologist who specialises in family and child relationships

There are always conflicting opinions on the safety of vaccinations and it can be difficult to know which way to turn. However, I've been doing a bit of research, and the consensus of opinion seems to be that for pregnant women the positives of having the vaccination seem to outweigh the negatives. There is an extremely useful website www.direct.gov.uk/swineflu

In essence, the information on this site is saying that if a pregnant woman contracts the virus the risks can be greater than for someone who isn't pregnant, and that they can develop more serious complications.

The World Health Organisation suggests that 10 per cent of all hospitalised patients with swine flu are women in the early stages of pregnancy, and that if it is contracted in the later stages there is a greater risk of a miscarriage or a premature baby.

The advice given is that the vaccine Pandemrix is perhaps the most useful as the individual only requires one dose.

Cary Cooper

Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at Lancaster University

I am afraid I just don't have this information but if I were you I would try to find this information out by contacting the regional NHS Public Health team.

Some GPs won't have this information to hand either, so to ease the stress of having to make a decision and to provide you with reassurance, I am sure that the public health professionals in the regional strategic health authority will have this information.

Dr Carol Burniston

Consultant Clinical Child Psychologist

It would be best to take the advice of people who are medically qualified and have looked at the evidence.

Lots of people have an opinion, but it is the science that is most persuasive. This is not my area and I have had to research this too.

It is clear that those who have been most affected by the swine flu virus have been pregnant or chronically ill. Most of the women who have been pregnant and severely affected have had underlying medical conditions.

If you are a fit and healthy person normally, then you may feel that it is unnecessary to be inoculated, but being pregnant does suppress your immune system and you may be more susceptible to illness. The swine flu jab is now recommended for all pregnant women in any stage of pregnancy.

More information is available on www.nhs.uk/conditions/pandemic-flu