- With Mayo Clinic obstetrician and medical editor-in-chief
Roger W. Harms, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Roger W. Harms, M.D.
Roger W. Harms, M.D.
"Nothing helps people stay healthy more than the power of real knowledge about health." — Dr. Roger Harms
As medical director of content, Dr. Roger Harms is excited about the potential for Mayo Clinic's health information site to help educate people about their health and provide them the tools and information to live healthier lives.
The Auburn, Neb., native has been with Mayo Clinic since 1981 and is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. Dr. Harms is a practicing physician and associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, and his specialty areas include office gynecology, high-risk obstetrics and obstetrical ultrasound.
From 2002 to 2007, Dr. Harms was director for education at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dr. Harms was the 1988 Mayo Medical School Teacher of the Year and served as associate dean for student affairs and academic affairs. He is the co-author of the "Mayo Clinic Model of Education." In 2008, Dr. Harms was presented the Distinguished Educator Award, Mayo Clinic, Rochester.
Dr. Harms is vice chair of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and medical editor of the Pregnancy section on this website. In addition, Dr. Harms is editor-in-chief of the "Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy" book, a month-by-month guide to everything a woman needs to know about having a baby.
"My medical education experience has grown out of a love of teaching, and that is what this site is about," Dr. Harms says. "If any visitor to this site makes a more informed and thus more comfortable decision about his or her health because of the information we provide, we are successful."
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Question
Flu shot in pregnancy: Is it safe?
Is it safe to get a flu shot during pregnancy?
Answer
from Roger W. Harms, M.D.
Yes, it's safe to get an influenza (flu) shot during pregnancy. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a flu shot for anyone who's pregnant during flu season — typically November through January or even later — unless you've had a severe reaction to a previous flu vaccination.
Pregnancy puts extra stress on your heart and lungs. Pregnancy can also affect your immune system. These factors increase the risk not only of getting the flu but of developing serious complications of the flu, such as pneumonia and respiratory distress. In turn, flu complications increase the risk of premature labor, preterm birth and other pregnancy complications. A flu shot can help prevent these potential problems.
In addition, having a flu shot during pregnancy can help protect your baby after birth. Infants are at high risk of complications from the flu, but childhood flu vaccines can't begin until age 6 months. If you have a flu shot during pregnancy, however, the antibodies you develop will pass through the placenta. In turn, these antibodies help protect your baby from the flu.
When you get your flu shot, be sure to request the flu shot and not the nasal spray vaccine. The flu shot is made from an inactivated virus, so it's safe for both mother and baby during any stage of pregnancy. The nasal spray vaccine is made from a live virus, which makes it less appropriate during pregnancy or while you're trying to conceive. If you're allergic to eggs, check with your doctor before receiving a flu shot.
The flu shot available during the 2011-2012 flu season offers protection from both H1N1 flu (swine flu) and seasonal flu.
- Eick AA, et al. Maternal influenza vaccination and effect on influenza virus infection in young infants. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. 2011;165:104.
- Omer SB, et al. Maternal influenza immunization and reduced likelihood of prematurity and small for gestational age births: A retrospective cohort study. PLoS Medicine. 2011;8:e1000441.
- Seasonal flu vaccine safety and pregnant women. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccine/qa_vacpregnant.htm. Accessed July 14, 2011.
- Vaccine selection for the 2011-2012 influenza season. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/vaccine-selection.htm. Accessed July 14, 2011.
- Guidelines for vaccinating pregnant women. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/preg-guide.htm#flu1. Accessed July 14, 2011.
- Prevention and control of influenza with vaccines: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), 2011. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2011;60:1.
Find Mayo Clinic on