Flu Shot and TTC?

I need to get my flu shot -- is there a better time than others to get it so it won't interfere with TTC?

TIA!!

Re: Flu Shot and TTC?

i don't believe it inteferes at all...but it can't hurt to call a doc to confirm that...

do you NORMALLY get the flu shot???

Re: Flu Shot and TTC?

No, but when I was pregnant my OB said to make sure I get a flu shot. Do you still think I should?

Re: Flu Shot and TTC?

This is from the CDC:

Who Should Get Vaccinated
In general, anyone who wants to reduce their chances of getting the flu can get vaccinated. However, it is recommended by ACIP that certain people should get vaccinated each year. They are either people who are at high risk of having serious flu complications or people who live with or care for those at high risk for serious complications. During flu seasons when vaccine supplies are limited or delayed, ACIP makes recommendations regarding priority groups for vaccination.

People who should get vaccinated each year are:

Children aged 6 months up to their 19th birthday
Pregnant women
People 50 years of age and older
People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
a. Health care workers
b. Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
c. Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)


Is it safe for pregnant women to receive an influenza vaccine that contains thimerosal?

Yes. A study of influenza vaccination examining over 2,000 pregnant women demonstrated no adverse fetal effects associated with influenza vaccine. Case reports and limited studies indicate that pregnancy can increase the risk for serious medical complications of influenza. One study found that out of every 10,000 women in their third trimester of pregnancy during an average flu season, 25 will be hospitalized for flu related complications.

Additionally, influenza-associated excess deaths among pregnant women have been documented during influenza pandemics. Because pregnant women are at increased risk for influenza-related complications and because a substantial safety margin has been incorporated into the health guidance values for organic mercury exposure, the benefits of influenza vaccine with reduced or standard thimerosal content outweighs the theoretical risk, if any, of thimerosal.


I would say that if it's safe for people who are pregnant, than it is okay to get while TTC.

I have never gotten the flu shot before, so I don't plan on getting it now.

Re: Flu Shot and TTC?

I was told if you don't 'normally' get them - that you should likely stay away. MANY people I know - the year they got the flu shot - GOT THE FLU...

maybe call the OB - tell him/her you are ttc'ing again and want to know if you should bother...

Re: Flu Shot and TTC?

Re: Flu Shot and TTC?

Lizzy... if you dont normally get the shot and you are not prone to the flu i wouldnt get it...
but i would still ask your doctor..

i got the vaccination once a couple years ago and i actually got the flu from it the doctor i was working for yelled at me saying i shouldnt have done that ... dont mess with my body with something that its not used too!!

but like i said... i am not a doctor ...its just an experience that I HAD..

so talk to your OB!!

Re: Flu Shot and TTC?

I got one last month. I got it towards the beginning of my cycle. When I was pg with DD they were giving the flu shot at the OBs office so I do know they give it to pregnant women. I opted out of it at the time because I was due shortly after.

However, I would definitely get it while TTC. I got a cold while in my 3rd Trimester and it was horrible. You have no immune system to speak of then and cannot take anything. I must say I have never felt so sick from a cold in my life and it was not even the flu.

Re: Flu Shot and TTC?

Hmmmm good question. I started getting the shot 2 yrs ago b/c my son was too young to get it. My ped recommended that DH and I get it, I did and DH didn't (neither of us ever get the flu, knock on wood) well wouldn't you know it, DH got sick, I was in a panic that it was the flu, I kept DS away from him and it all turned out fine, but i'm not sure what to do this year. I never got sick from the shot either. My Dr says thats a myth, but I have always believed it happens....who knows!

Re: Flu Shot and TTC?

my sister is TTC and her doctor told her NO FLU SHOT!!!! Instead her husband and son will get one.

Re: Flu Shot and TTC?

When I was PG with DS, my OB said no flu shot in 1st trimester.

Then I know other mommies whose OB said OK in 1st trimester.

So who knows!

Re: Flu Shot and TTC?

wanted to add:

website: (sorry don't know how to link)http://www.usnews.com/blogs/on-women/2008/9/26/an-option-flu-vaccines-without-mercury-based-thimerosal.html


The other concern is that the kind of mercury found in vaccines is different from the methyl mercury found in fish. While thimerosal gets flushed from the body much faster than methyl mercury, what remains is more likely to accumulate in the brain, as inorganic mercury, and remain there for a year or more, according to a 2005 University of Washington study of infant monkeys. "We still don't have enough data to say how long this inorganic mercury stays in the brain, but if you can reduce or eliminate your baby's exposure, why wouldn't you do that?" says Tom Burbacher, a professor of environmental occupational health sciences who led the study.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists sent out a news release yesterday urging all pregnant women to get flu shots, with the proviso that shots containing thimerosal are fine because "there is no evidence showing that thimerosal is a danger to the health of the pregnant woman or her fetus." When I read that quote to Burbacher, he said, "that is a very misleading statement because women will assume there's been exhaustive research done on this showing that it's safe for fetuses, and there's no such data."

Re: Flu Shot and TTC?

i am 29 weeks pregnant and just got mine
I dont think there is a "bad" time so to speak

Re: Flu Shot and TTC?

I'd ask your doctor. I know it's recommended that pregnant women get the flu shot. I got a thermisol-free one at my OB's office a few weeks ago. I'm not sure whether it's recommended for women who are TTC though.

Re: Flu Shot and TTC?

I got the shot when I was pregnant (1st trimester) from my OBs office.

I couldn't get the one from work because it was mercury based (or something like that).

Re: Flu Shot and TTC?

I got a flu shot last week at my OB's office. I was 26 weeks.
I have never had any side effects from the flu shot, and I haven't gotten the flu since I've been getting the shot.