A new study has found flu shots show no increased risk of pregnancy loss. In fact, it suggests that influenza during pregnancy has an increased risk of miscarriages and still births. Scientists at the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) tested Norwegian pregnant women following the H1N1 influenza pandemic that took place between spring 2009 and fall 2010. NIPH researchers combined data from obstetrical visits, birth records and vaccination registries to see whether the flu vaccination posed a risk to pregnancy. The study found that influenza infection increases the risk of fetal loss by up to twofold, while the vaccination reduces the risk of fetal loss.
“Most important is that vaccinations protect pregnant women against influenza illness, which could be harmful for both the mother and the baby,” says co-author Allen Wilcox, M.D., Ph.D. “If pregnant women are worried about their fetus, then getting a flu shot is a good thing to do.”
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