Flu Vaccine in Pregnancy: Evidence-Based Risks and Benefits

Pregnancy Podcast

Vanessa Merten

Newborn, Parent, Homebirth, Vbac, Kids & Family, Doula, Firsttimemom, Midwife, Pregnancy, Doctor, Parenting, Pregnant, Vanessamerten, Physician, Csection, Prenatalcare, Breastfeeding, Naturalbirth, Nursing, Birthcenter, Family, Baby, Hospitalbirth, Health, Obgyn, Research, Trimester, Expecting, Labor, Mom, Diet, Dad, Birth

4.5 • 948 Ratings

🗓️ 6 October 2024

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Flu, or influenza, is a contagious disease caused by the influenza virus. In most healthy adults, flu symptoms are typically mild and resolve within about a week. However, during pregnancy, the body's heightened inflammatory response can increase the risk of complications from the flu. To reduce these risks and provide passive immunity to babies, healthcare professionals recommend the flu vaccine for pregnant women. Deciding whether to get vaccinated during pregnancy can be challenging, as it involves weighing the potential risks and benefits. Additionally, you have choices regarding the type of flu vaccine and the timing of administration. This episode reviews the research and considerations for making an informed decision about the flu vaccine during pregnancy.

This episode is up to date for the 2023-24 flu season.

Thank you to our sponsor

Zahler goes above and beyond to use high-quality bioavailable ingredients like the active form of folate, bioavailable iron, and omega 3s. The Zahler Prenatal +DHA is my #1 recommendation for a high-quality prenatal vitamin. In October 2024, you can save 40% off the Zahler Prenatal +DHA on Amazon with the code PREPOD40. You can always see the current promo code for the Zahler prenatal vitamin by clicking here.

Read the full article and resources that accompany this episode.

Join Pregnancy Podcast Premium to access the entire back catalog, listen to all episodes ad-free, get a copy of the Your Birth Plan Book, and more.

Check out the 40 Weeks podcast to learn how your baby grows each week and what is happening in your body. Plus, get a heads up on what to expect at your prenatal appointments and a tip for dads and partners.

For more evidence-based information, visit the Pregnancy Podcast website.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	You are listening to the pregnancy podcast with Vanessa Merton.
0:10.0	Hello, thank you for tuning into the pregnancy podcast. In today's episode, we're
0:16.1	talking about the flu vaccine in pregnancy and we're going to go through
0:20.2	evidence-based risks and benefits.
0:23.4	The flu, or influenza, is a contagious disease caused by the influenza virus.
0:29.0	In most healthy adults, flu symptoms are typically mild and resolve within about a week.
0:34.0	However, during pregnancy, your body's heightened inflammatory response can increase risks of some complications.
0:41.0	To reduce these risks and to provide passive immunity to your baby,
0:46.4	health care professionals recommend the flu vaccine for pregnant women. Now deciding whether to get
0:52.0	vaccinated during pregnancy can be challenging because you have to weigh
0:55.7	potential risks and benefits. Plus you also have choices regarding the type of flu vaccine that you get and the timing of when you get it.
1:04.8	So in this episode we're going to review the research and talk about some
1:08.8	considerations so that you can make an informed decision about the flu vaccine in pregnancy.
1:14.8	And this episode is up to date for the 2023-24 flu season.
1:20.5	You can find the complete article and all of the resources for this episode at pregnancy
1:26.6	podcast.com slash flu vaccine.
1:31.0	The last year of episodes of the pregnancy podcast are always available for free wherever you listen to audio.
1:38.0	You can become a pregnancy podcast premium member and get access to all ad free content,
1:45.2	plus get access to hundreds of episodes in the back catalog.
1:49.7	When you become a pregnancy podcast premium member you also get a free PDF download of the
1:55.9	Your Birth Plan book that walks you step by step through creating your birth plan with samples and
2:01.5	a template that you can download and customize and you'll get access to listen
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Vanessa Merten, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Vanessa Merten and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.