Pregnancy is one of the most important and delicate phases in a woman’s life. To clear some regular confusions and misconceptions, here are a few vaccines every woman must know about before conception, during pregnancy and other stages in life. Before getting vaccinated one must make sure to inform the doctor about all existing allergies and possible reactions to medication. This will help the doctor in providing better treatment and help to avoid unnecessary allergic reactions.
Once pregnant, the doctor will recommend a flu shot, if it wasn’t administered before. Between 27 to 36 weeks of pregnancy, a Tdap (tetanus toxoid) vaccine will be administered. This is to protect the baby in the first few months of their life from pertussis, also known as whooping cough. If anti-HB antibody levels are not below 10miu/dl, a Hepatitis B vaccine will be recommended. The polio vaccine part can be omitted during pregnancy as it is not a part of the recommended vaccines by the National Immunisation Programme. Avoid vaccines like BCG for tuberculosis, HPV for sexually transmitted infection also called STI or STD. Include HPV in a group vaccine immediately post-partum as this is highly being advocated. Avoid MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) and Varicella during pregnancy. They can however be taken before pregnancy. Rubella vaccine is another vaccine that can be taken before contemplating pregnancy. Vaccines that contain killed (inactivated) viruses can be administered to pregnant women. However, vaccines that contain live viruses cannot be recommended.
Travel vaccines like those for yellow fever, typhoid fever and Japanese encephalitis must be avoided unless the doctor determines that the benefits outweigh the risks. It is safe to take vaccines after childbirth. However, the yellow fever vaccine is not recommended while breastfeeding unless travel to certain countries is unavoidable and only administered if determined necessary by the doctor.
A few other vaccines that may be recommended during pregnancy depending on the doctor’s analysis are Pneumococcal vaccines, Hepatitis A vaccine and Meningococcal vaccines. Pneumococcal vaccines are to protect people who run a risk of getting infected because of cigarette smoking, chronic heart, lung, liver or kidney diseases; asthma or anyone with a compromised immune system. The Hepatitis A virus is usually transmitted through the contamination of food with infected faeces, causing inflammation in the liver. If you have chronic liver disease, a Hepatitis A vaccine would be recommended.
Every woman needs to plan her vaccines with her doctors before conception, during pregnancy and even after childbirth. This will allow the mother and the child to lead a less complicated and disease-free life.
(The author is a consultant OB-GYN.)