Vaccinations During Pregnancy

Vic asked

I am pregnant but don't know if I am due for any vaccinations. Do you need vaccinations when you are pregnant?

Answer

Pregnant women can be vaccinated during any trimester although there are precautions. While many are hesistant to use vaccines with thimerosal (a common preservative), there actually is no evidence it is harmful and is deemed safe by the CDC. Having said that, there are preservative free options that I usually recommend the alleviate these fears. For the flu vaccine for example, I usually recommend Fluzone, the preservative free pre-filled syringe. Pregnant women are among the populations at high risk of complications from and hospitalization due to seasonal flu and therefore I generally recommend it.