Dr. Kathy B. Porter, professor and chair of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, gave a Med School Café lecture this week about planning a healthy pregnancy for women in their 30s.
Dr. Porter had strong advice for pregnant women regarding the flu shot. “If you haven’t been vaccinated before you become pregnant, get your flu shot right away – at any stage of pregnancy,” she stressed. “The only patients who should not get the vaccination are those who are allergic to chicken eggs and those have had a severe reaction to previous flu vaccinations.”
Contracting the flu during pregnancy, both H1N1 (often referred to as swine flu) or seasonal flu, can lead to serious complications to both mom and her unborn baby.
According to Dr. Porter, pregnancy itself causes the women’s immune system to be less effective in fighting illnesses, including those related to the flu. Women who are pregnant and have chronic medical conditions like diabetes or kidney disease are at even higher risk for experiencing flu-related complications.
Dr. Porter pointed out another reason to get vaccinated. “Studies suggest that immunity from the flu vaccination is passed along from the mother to the fetus during pregnancy,” she said. “This is significant because otherwise newborns have no immunity to the flu virus.”
To watch Dr. Porter’s entire lecture, follow this link
http://www.southalabama.edu/usahealthsystem/medcafe/081809.html
Dr. Porter had strong advice for pregnant women regarding the flu shot. “If you haven’t been vaccinated before you become pregnant, get your flu shot right away – at any stage of pregnancy,” she stressed. “The only patients who should not get the vaccination are those who are allergic to chicken eggs and those have had a severe reaction to previous flu vaccinations.”
Contracting the flu during pregnancy, both H1N1 (often referred to as swine flu) or seasonal flu, can lead to serious complications to both mom and her unborn baby.
According to Dr. Porter, pregnancy itself causes the women’s immune system to be less effective in fighting illnesses, including those related to the flu. Women who are pregnant and have chronic medical conditions like diabetes or kidney disease are at even higher risk for experiencing flu-related complications.
Dr. Porter pointed out another reason to get vaccinated. “Studies suggest that immunity from the flu vaccination is passed along from the mother to the fetus during pregnancy,” she said. “This is significant because otherwise newborns have no immunity to the flu virus.”
To watch Dr. Porter’s entire lecture, follow this link
http://www.southalabama.edu/usahealthsystem/medcafe/081809.html
