Immunizations during pregnancy must be carefully considered, weighing the risk of the immunization against the risk of acquiring the disease for which the patient is being immunized.
Live, or live-attenuated vaccines are not normally administered to pregnant women, while inactivated vaccines are generally considered safe.
Some immunizations are generally considered safe…some are not. Here is a partial listing of some of the immunizations considered during pregnancy. This list was compiled by the CDC (2014).
| Vaccine | General Recommendation for Use in Pregnant Women | For More Information See text | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Routine | Hepatitis A | Recommended if otherwise indicated. | See Hepatitis A text |
| Hepatitis B | Recommended in some circumstances. | See Hepatitis B text | |
| Human Papillomavirus (HPV) | Not recommended. | See HPV text | |
| Influenza (Inactivated) | Recommended. | See Influenza text | |
| Influenza (LAIV) | Contraindicated. | See Influenza(LAIV)text | |
| MMR | Contraindicated. | See MMR text | |
| Meningococcal | May be used if otherwise indicated. | See Meningococcaltext | |
| PCV13 | Inadequate data for specific recommendation. | See Pneumococcal Conjugate text | |
| PPSV23 | Inadequate data for specific recommendation. | See Pneumococcal Polysaccharide text | |
| Polio | May be used if needed. | See Polio text | |
| Td | Should be used if otherwise indicated. | See Tetanus and Diphtheria text | |
| Tdap | Recommended. | See Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis text | |
| Varicella | Contraindicated. | See Varicella text | |
| Zoster | Contraindicated. | See Zoster text | |
| Travel & Other | Anthrax | Low risk of exposure – not recommended. High risk of exposure – may be used. | See Anthrax text |
| BCG | Contraindicated. | See BCG text | |
| Japanese Encephalitis | Inadequate data for specific recommendation. | See Japanese Encephalitis text | |
| Rabies | May be used if otherwise indicated. | See Rabies text | |
| Typhoid | Inadequate data for specific recommendation. | See Typhoid text | |
| Smallpox | Pre-exposure – contraindicated. Post-exposure – recommended. |
See Smallpox text | |
| Yellow Fever | May be used if benefit outweighs risk. | See Yellow Fever text | |