Tuesday September 29, 2009
An article in Minneapolis Star Tribune reports on how some pregnant women are skeptical of the new H1N1 vaccine. Pregnant women are among the groups strongly advised to get the vaccine, but many women are less than thrilled about the idea of getting the shot, reporting concerns about the safety of the vaccine and possible effects for the unborn baby.
I can definitely see where they are coming from, being someone who was concerned about safety of pretty much everything when I was pregnant. And there's not much research on the safety of any type of flu vaccine during the first trimester, much less thimerosal exposure in the first trimester, although the CDC says that flu vaccination is advisable in any trimester during a pandemic. Still, there are definite risks to catching the flu during pregnancy also -- and pregnant women seem to be at higher risk of having severe complications (including death) from H1N1 flu in particular. As with most cases, all you can really do is weigh the risks and benefits of both courses of action and discuss your concerns with your doctor -- then make an informed choice on how to proceed.
What are your thoughts? Do you plan to get the H1N1 flu vaccine, especially if you are currently pregnant or hope to become pregnant in the near future? Vote here.
- October 9, 2009 at 2:41 pm(1) Jo says:
I got the flu vaccine (regular not H1N1) at 8 weeks pregnant. Three days later I miscarried. I am not going to get the H1N1.
- October 26, 2009 at 11:07 am(2) Regrets says:
I got both vaccines on Thursday. I was 9 weeks pregnant. I miscarried on Sunday. I was told by several doctors to get these vaccines. Now I wish I followed my gut feeling and not get them at ALL!
- October 29, 2009 at 8:33 am(3) :( says:
i work in a hospital like setting and was told ‘the benefits outweigh the risks” 1am i got the vaccine, 3am i started bleeding and craming, 3pm miscarried. you decide
- October 31, 2009 at 1:29 pm(4) sue says:
I had the H1N1 vaccination and 24 hours later had a miscarriage.
- October 31, 2009 at 8:25 pm(5) Linda Hill says:
My daughter in law was 10 weeks pregnant and had the H1N1 vaccine on Friday that night she miscarried.
- November 1, 2009 at 9:58 pm(6) Stephanie says:
I received the H1N1 over a week ago. I am now 5 weeks. I am doing well so far.
- November 2, 2009 at 10:52 pm(7) SoSorry says:
I was so ready to get the H1N1 vaccine last week and they were only giving them to pregnant women. I was 6 weeks along and got it and the next day I started cramping and miscarried. I already had two healthy pregnancies and never miscarried or had any problems. My doctors think I am crazy to think it was the H1N1 but if no one looks into this than other women will not know. I am so sorry that I got it.
- November 3, 2009 at 4:30 pm(8) Connie says:
I also received the H1N1 vaccination on October 22nd, 2009 and went into labor on October 25th, at 16 weeks pregnant and we just heard the heartbeat and everything was fine with my pregnancy on October 16th, 2009, then on October 28th my water broke then on October 29th, I delivered a stillborn baby boy, and no one can tell me why…Everyone wants to say it did not come from the shot but I believe it did. My baby was growing at the correct pace and everyone wants to brush off the vaccination. I say if you have the vaccination and suffer a miscarriage if they are able to perform an autopsy have it done.
- November 3, 2009 at 4:34 pm(9) Connie says:
I also agree something needs to be done and looked more into with this vaccination because most women are being advised it’s just something that happens, but I also had two healthy children normal pregnancies and when I received this vaccination with my third pregnancy, my baby is gone. Contact me at connie.adams@rocketmail.com
- November 4, 2009 at 10:12 pm(10) sioux falls, south dakota says:
I received the H1N1 vaccine on October 16th and started experiencing cramping on the 22nd. I was nearly 17 weeks pregnant and gave birth to a stillborn baby boy on the 23rd. Like many of the other women here, the first thing I suspected was the H1N1 vaccine. I immediately asked a nurse at the hospital if that would have anything to do with it. Without hesitation, she told me “absolutely not.” I had reservations about getting the vaccine, but followed the advice of my long trusted family doctor. In a follow up appointment with my doctor 3 days after I lost my baby, I asked him if the vaccine would have had any adverse effects on my baby. He also said that it was not possible. I don’t believe that my doctor was necessarily lying to me, he was simply following the accepted practices and opinions of his field. I do, however, believe that as a nation, we are being lied to. This vaccine is NOT safe during pregnancy. There has not been enough testing done to determine this and there are far too many “coincidences” for this to be anything but a result of a vaccine that was hastily pushed into production and distribution in an effort to stop widespread panic. I have read so many stories in defense of the vaccine that will talk about how common miscarriages are, but I would challenge you to ask ANY health care professional how common second trimester miscarriages are. My baby was doing perfect developmentally and I had felt him move earlier that day. My heart goes out to all of you out there who have had to go through the same heartache and loss that I have had in the last couple of weeks. There is no reason that any woman or family should have to go through this. Get the word out to all of the pregnant women that you know. I know that if I had heard that women had been losing their babies shortly after they received the vaccine, I would have followed my gut and not gotten it myself. Maybe then Wyatt would have had a chance at life.
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