Flu Shots and Pregnancy
Reviewed by William Blahd on November 13, 2015
Sources
CDC: "Seasonal Flu Vaccine Safety and Pregnant Women.". North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services: "Information for Pregnant Women About Flu.".
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Video Transcript
Dr. Arefa Cassoobhoy: I get a lot of questions about how safe the flu vaccine is when you’re pregnant. The answer is the flu shot is – very safe.
It’s been given to millions of women over a long time and there’s no evidence of it being harmful.
The flu vaccine is even safe for babies 6 months and older and is recommended for them.
Does being sick lead to low vitamin D or does a low vitamin D level trigger other medical problems? OR, is something else completely different going on?
While we wait for researchers to answer those questions, we do know this. Vitamin D is critical for strong, healthy bones throughout your life.
Getting enough from the sun can be a challenge when you’re wearing sunscreen to protect your skin.
And very few foods have vitamin D besides fortified milk, so it can be tough to rely on your diet to get vitamin D.
For many people, a vitamin D supplement is a good idea. Check with your doctor to see how much you need to protect your bones.
And for now, we’ll wait to see if taking vitamin D can help treat any other illnesses.
For WebMD, I’m Dr. Arefa Cassoobhoy.