Getting a Flu Shot While Pregnant: Protecting Mom and Baby

Pregnancy is a very special time when you must make many important decisions — some of which will affect you and your baby's health. For one, how can you protect against illness like the flu? Influenza and its complications can be quite serious for pregnant women. Getting the flu vaccine is the best way to protect yourself against severe influenza — but is receiving a flu shot while pregnant safe?

Continue reading for a look at the evidence and recommendations to help you make an informed decision about getting the flu shot during pregnancy.

Protecting Maternal Health

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises pregnant women to get a flu shot to safeguard their health during pregnancy.^* Why? The flu is more likely to progress into severe cases in pregnant and postpartum women, potentially requiring hospitalization. Pregnancy brings significant physiological changes and alters the immune system, making pregnant individuals more vulnerable to serious infections.

However, getting a flu shot reduces a pregnant woman's risk of being hospitalized with the flu by roughly 40%, according to the CDC. Likewise, receiving a flu shot reduces the risk of flu-associated respiratory illness during pregnancy by 50%.

Passive Immunity for Newborns

The flu shot doesn't just safeguard moms; it also protects babies during their early months of life when their immune systems aren't yet fully developed.

Getting a flu shot causes your body to make special proteins called antibodies. These antibodies help your body fight certain infections and diseases. The flu shot teaches your immune system to recognize the flu virus and make specific antibodies to fight it. It takes one to two weeks for your body to build these antibodies after you receive the vaccine. If you encounter the flu virus after this time, your immune system will be ready. Your body will react by quickly building the antibodies and launching a counterattack on the virus, keeping the infection from becoming severe.

Receiving a flu vaccine while pregnant helps your body fight the flu and protects your baby. The antibodies pass from mom to baby through the placenta. This is important because infants cannot get a flu shot until they are at least six months old. So, when you receive the flu shot during pregnancy, you're giving your baby some protection until they're old enough to get the vaccine.

Safety Considerations

Many clinical studies support the safety of receiving a flu shot during pregnancy, providing strong evidence that it's safe for pregnant individuals and their babies. These studies looked at various aspects of flu vaccine safety during pregnancy:

• There is no evidence linking flu shots to pregnancy complications or negative outcomes for babies.

• Getting the flu shot during pregnancy does not increase the risk of miscarriage or premature delivery.

• Receiving a flu shot while pregnant does not raise the risk of birth defects.

The nation's top pregnancy health experts, including the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the CDC, all recommend that pregnant women receive a flu shot during flu season, regardless of the trimester of their pregnancy.

Specifically, the flu shot (via injection) is recommended for pregnant women. In contrast, the intranasal influenza vaccine (FluMist) should not be given during pregnancy because it contains live attenuated (weakened) influenza virus, which theoretically may put an unborn baby at risk.

According to the CDC, it is safe for people who are breastfeeding to receive flu vaccines, as well. Breastfeeding individuals may receive either type of flu vaccine.

Community-Wide Protection

When pregnant women are vaccinated, they help contribute to community-wide protection, or herd immunity. Herd immunity occurs when a large part of a population becomes immune to a disease, either through vaccination or previous infection. It helps protect those who aren't immune.

Reaching herd immunity can be achieved through vaccination efforts, helping to prevent disease from spreading throughout the population.

Bottom Line

So, can you get a flu shot while pregnant? Simply put, yes — and you should! Getting a flu shot during pregnancy is not just recommended but highly encouraged. At-risk individuals, which includes pregnant women, are more likely to develop serious respiratory illness or require hospital care if they do contract the flu. That's why it's so important for everyone eligible for the flu vaccine to book that appointment. Plus, when more people get vaccinated, it helps keep everyone in the community safer.

As an expecting mother, you want to do everything possible to keep yourself and your baby healthy. Attend regular checkups with your OB/GYN provider, eat a balanced diet, take prenatal vitamins and be sure to get vaccinated against influenza.

Talk with your healthcare provider about other vaccines you may need during pregnancy, such as Tdap and RSV. Book your vaccination appointment today at Rite Aid.

Clinically reviewed on Nov. 8, 2023.