Oct. 5, 2017
Kimberly Carter, MD, MPP
Austin obstetrician-gynecologist
Last week I walked into the hospital and greeted my colleague,
who was clearly agitated. He had just finished an urgent cesarean section that resulted
in both baby and mom ending up in intensive care. Why? The flu. It’s only early
fall, but the flu has arrived and started to claim its victims. As an
obstetrician, I want my patients to have a safe delivery and a healthy baby. The
flu shot during pregnancy is an important part of achieving that goal.
I sigh when I hear one of my pregnant patients say, “But
I’ve never gotten the flu. I don’t need a shot.” I recall a patient I had to
put on life support two years ago because the flu severely damaged her lungs. I
also remember my patient I had to deliver early because of the flu and how she
waited 10 days to meet her baby. I visited her in the intensive care unit as
her distraught husband balanced the joy of the newborn, the fear of losing his
wife, and the anxiety of doing this alone.
The flu is dangerous to pregnant women, so dangerous that they
and children under the age of 5 are prioritized to get the flu shot. Pregnant women
lose 30 percent of their lung capacity by 16 weeks. When your lungs lose that
much volume, you can’t take the flu’s hit without risking serious consequences.
And the flu’s fever can threaten the developing baby’s
life, as happened with my colleague’s patient last week: That baby’s heart rate
went from 230 to zero beats in less than five minutes; baby needed chest
compressions to revive its heart. Flu affects a fetus early, too; in the first
trimester, fever can cause neural tube defects — birth defects of the brain,
spine, or spinal cord.
The flu shot a pregnant woman receives protects her and her
baby in two important ways. First, it can reduce the risk of getting the flu by
as much as 60 percent. And if mom does get the flu, it can be milder. The shot also
protects the newborn for those first 6 months when the baby is too young to get
the flu shot.
The protection mom gets from the flu shot is transferred to
the baby to help build up his or her ability to fight the illness. Then the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends flu vaccination for
anyone over 6 months of age.
Multiple studies and years of evidence support the safety
of flu vaccination in pregnant women. A pregnant woman can get a flu shot
anytime during pregnancy, and flu season can last from October through May. No
mom-to-be should skip her flu shot.
Knowing these facts, I was dismayed to read a recent controversial
study questioning the safety of flu shots during the first trimester of pregnancy.
The researchers studied only a small group of women (lessening confidence in
accuracy), and this stand-alone research begs more scrutiny. One of the study’s
coauthors even acknowledged the outcomes were unexpected and need more
investigation.
My colleagues and I are not alone in our continued
confidence about vaccinating pregnant women. Recently the American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and CDC voiced support for influenza
vaccination during pregnancy. ACOG stated: “Influenza vaccination is an
essential element of prenatal care,” citing flu’s “increased risk” for illness
or death to pregnant women. ACOG reiterated the vaccine’s protection of
newborns, too.
For me, flu vaccination during pregnancy is a given. The benefits
far outweigh any potential risks. Influenza can kill, and pregnant women — and
newborns — are high risk for the disease. Unless proven otherwise, my colleagues
and I will continue adamantly to advise the flu vaccine’s protection to our
patients. We’re heading into flu season; get vaccinated as soon as possible. If
you have any concerns, be sure to talk with your doctor.
Kimberly
Carter, MD, MPP, Austin obstetrician-gynecologist
Fellow,
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Texas Association
of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, immediate past president
Texas
Medical Association Be Wise — ImmunizeSM Physician Advisory Panel member
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more than 50,000 physician and medical student members. It is located in Austin
and has 110 component county medical societies around the state. TMA’s key
objective since 1853 is to improve the health of all Texans.
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