Moms-to-be: Don't fear the flu shot!

The results of a new study may convince women who are pregnant to get their flu shots. Many pregnant women fear getting any vaccines, including the influenza vaccine, despite overwhelming evidence of its safety and its protective effect against the flu.

Now a new study, published May 31 in PLoS Medicine, adds yet another reason to get vaccinated. The study, done among expectant women in Georgia, analyzed data for 4,200 births between June 2004 and September 2006 and found that pregnant women who received the flu vaccine experienced a 56 to 72 percent reduced risk of giving birth prematurely. Researchers also found that babies born to immunized women during peak flu season (January and February) were 69 percent less likely to have a baby who was “small for gestational age" (meaning birth weight, head circumference, or length in the bottom 9 percent). There was no association between flu vaccination and the risk of premature birth outside of flu season (October to May).

The study does not, however, prove cause and effect, and as ACSH's Alyssa Pelish points out, these results could be confounded by the fact that mothers who elect to receive the flu vaccine may already be more conscientious about their health than those who do not (a phenomenon known as the "healthy mother" effect).

ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross says that this study supports the body of evidence demonstrating that the flu vaccine is safe for pregnant women.“It is a myth that the vaccine can pose a health threat to babies if administered during pregnancy, and every physician should relay this important information to their pregnant patients,”he advises. "What is more, there is ample evidence that the flu can be especially severe in pregnant women. The bottom line is that pregnant women should get a flu shot.”