A new study by the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology is helping to reassure pregnant women about the safety of getting the flu and whooping cough vaccines together.
By: Jossie Carbonare
If you’re worried about getting the flu and whopping cough vaccine together, you can now rest assured. A new study released by the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology this week, states that pregnant women are now able to safely get both vaccines at the same time.
Contrary to previous belief that vaccines should be administered a few weeks apart, it turns out that getting them at the same time is just as safe and makes no difference. The study looked at data on 36,844 pregnant women, ages 14 to 49 who had both the shots between 2007 and 2013. In 23 percent of the cases both vaccines were given one after the other, while 77 percent of the shots were given at separate times.
Researchers found no differences in pre-term delivery or birth weight, and there was also no increased risk of fever for the mother during the pregnancy.
Vaccine research scientist and study co-author Marlene Lugg told CBS they found no significant increased risk of fever or other adverse effects to a mother or baby, and that women need to understand it’s extremely safe and protects them and the baby.
“Pregnant women definitely need these vaccines and should absolutely be getting them,” explains Kecia Gaither, M.D., maternal fetal medicine specialist and director of perinatal outreach at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, N.Y. “The flu in pregnant women can be lethal, so taking precautions is super important for every mom and her growing baby.”
