Hello Doc, my physician has recommended me to get some vaccinations before trying to conceive because he says they will help having a safer pregnancy, both for me and for my baby. I was vaccinated when I was a girl, but maybe there are certain diseases that I wasn’t vaccinated against, so kindly could you please recommend me some? My DH and I can’t wait to stop using birth control methods and be busy dealing with our fertility… And also, can I get vaccinated if I’m traveling elsewhere during pregnancy? To exotic countries such as Africa or Asia? Thx 😉
05/12/2016 at 5:08 pmDear Juliette,
As you may know, vaccines help people protect against infections, either by bacteria or viruses, and they can be administered by a health care provider via injection, pill taken by mouth, or nasal spray. The aim is to create the antobodies against some specific disease and this way help protect the person against future infection.
When trying to conceive or during pregnancy, vaccines can help prevent serious complications, such as the rubella. This viral infection can lead to miscarriage or serious birth defects in the baby if the unvaccinated mother is infected while pregnant. Flu infection (i.e. influenza) can affect both the mother and the unborn child. If contracted during pregnancy, this infection can lead to premature labor, miscarriage, serious lung infections in the pregnant woman, and even death.
As for the best time to be vaccinated, some vaccines such as the ones for Hepatitis A or B, or the flu infection are safe to be applied before and during pregnancy. Nevertheless, other vaccinations such as the one for chicken pox or rubella are best given at least a month before the woman tries to conceive, since they contain weakened but live small pieces of the virus or bacteria.
My advice is that you talk to your healthcare provider ASAP about how to schedule these essential vaccines, if not already applied.
I hope this helps,
Best wishes
05/16/2016 at 1:00 pm