- With Mayo Clinic obstetrician and medical editor-in-chief
Roger W. Harms, M.D.
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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."
Healthy pregnancy (18)
- Allergy medications and pregnancy: What's safe?
- Vaccines during pregnancy: Are they safe?
- Air travel during pregnancy: Is it safe?
- see all in Healthy pregnancy
First trimester (3)
- Implantation bleeding: Normal in early pregnancy?
- Nausea during pregnancy: A good thing?
- Birth control pills: Harmful in early pregnancy?
Second trimester (1)
- Fundal height: An accurate sign of fetal growth?
Third trimester (1)
- Hypnobirthing: How does it work?
Pregnancy problems (8)
- Pregorexia: A legitimate problem during pregnancy?
- Chickenpox and pregnancy: What are the concerns?
- Low amniotic fluid: How is it treated?
- see all in Pregnancy problems
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Question
Vaccines during pregnancy: Are they safe?
I'm wondering about vaccines during pregnancy. Which vaccines are recommended and which ones should I avoid?
Answer
from Roger W. Harms, M.D.
Generally, vaccines that contain inactivated (killed) viruses can be given during pregnancy. Vaccines that contain live viruses aren't recommended for pregnant women.
The only vaccine routinely recommended during pregnancy is an influenza (flu) shot for women who are pregnant during flu season — typically November through March. The flu shot is made from an inactivated virus, so it's safe for both you and your baby. Avoid the nasal spray vaccine, which is made from a live virus.
Your health care provider may recommend a tetanus and diphtheria (Td) booster shot if you haven't had one in 10 or more years or if you have a deep or contaminated cut during your pregnancy. A routine Td booster is typically given in the second or third trimester, but can be given anytime if needed due to possible exposure.
Another form of the tetanus and diphtheria vaccine — called the Tdap — also offers protection from pertussis (whooping cough). If you haven't previously been vaccinated with Tdap, your health care provider will likely recommend that you get a Tdap vaccine during your late second trimester or third trimester of pregnancy or as soon as your baby is born. By getting Tdap during pregnancy, you'll be able to transfer pertussis antibodies to your newborn, which will help protect your baby from pertussis until he or she can be vaccinated. In addition, if you're traveling abroad or you're at increased risk of certain infections, your health care provider may recommend other vaccines during pregnancy — such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal or pneumococcal vaccines.
Certain vaccines are generally avoided during pregnancy, including:
- Chickenpox (varicella)
- Human papillomavirus (HPV)
- Measles
- Mumps
- Rubella (German measles)
If you're planning a pregnancy, talk to your health care provider about any vaccines you may need beforehand. Live vaccines should be given at least a month before conception.
Next questionAir travel during pregnancy: Is it safe?
- Gerbie MV, et al. Pertussis disease in new mothers: Effect on young infants and strategies for prevention. Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2009;113:399.
- Immunization and pregnancy. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/downloads/f_preg.pdf. Accessed Dec. 8, 2010.
- Immunization and pregnancy. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/downloads/f_preg_chart.pdf. Accessed Dec. 8, 2010.
- Key facts about seasonal flu vaccine. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm. Accessed Dec. 8, 2010.
- Immunizations during pregnancy. American Academy of Pediatrics. http://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/immunizations/Pages/Immunizations-During-Pregnancy.aspx. Accessed Dec. 9, 2010.
- Recommended adult immunization schedule: United States, 2011. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/downloads/adult/adult-schedule.pdf. Accessed Feb. 14, 2011.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, et al. Appendix A: Summary of ACIP recommendations for prevention of pertussis, tetanus and diphtheria among pregnant and postpartum women and their infants. MMWR. 2008;57:48. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/rr/rr5704.pdf. Accessed Feb. 14, 2011.
- Harms RW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dec. 10, 2010.
- Pertussis (whooping cough) — What you need to know. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Pertussis. Accessed Nov. 11, 2011.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, et al. Updated recommendations for use of tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid and acellular pertussis vaccine (TDAP) in pregnant women and persons who have or anticipate having close contact with an infant aged <12 months (ACIP). MMWR. 2011;60:1424. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6041a4.htm. Accessed Nov. 22, 2011.
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