Leading gynecologist recommends flu shots for pregnant women

Oct 30 2009

Randy A. Fink, MD says pregnant women ought to be shot – with a flu vaccination needle. “A flu shot offers double protection to both mother and baby,” says Dr. Fink, a Miami board certified specialist who was recently named one of “America's Top Obstetrician/Gynecologists” by the Consumer Research Council.

While many women, particularly first-time mothers, are worried about getting a flu shot while pregnant, Dr. Fink says vaccines offer important protection against both seasonal flu and 2009 H1N1 flu (sometimes called “swine flu”).

“Pregnancy is considered a high-risk condition for women who are infected by the H1N1 virus,” says Dr. Fink. “A pregnant woman who comes down with any type of flu has a greater chance for serious health problems.”

Studies by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) indicate that pregnant women are four times as likely as the general population to require hospitalization for H1N1 flu. In addition, the death rate in pregnant women is higher than expected when compared with the overall population.

“Fortunately, pregnant women who get a flu vaccination are less likely to catch the flu than those who didn’t get a flu shot,” says Dr. Fink. “Other studies show that babies born to mothers who had a flu shot in pregnancy are also less likely to come down with flu than babies whose mothers did not get a flu shot.”

Dr. Fink notes that the new H1N1 vaccine has been approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and is produced in the same fashion as regular seasonal flu vaccine. “Over the years, seasonal flu vaccine has been given to millions of pregnant women without difficulties,” he says. “For pregnant women, the risk of not getting a flu shot is much higher than any minimal risk of receiving the vaccine.”