Many expectant moms may be hesitant to get the flu shot out of fear of the side effects, but new studies are suggesting that the benefits of not being infected by the flu virus often outweigh the risks that come with getting vaccinated. In fact, doctors and scientists consider the flu virus a potential health risk for the baby even if the mother doesn't show any outward symptoms of the flu. Two new studies of pregnant women have found that moms who receive flu shots decrease their chances of giving birth to premature babies.
In a new study led by Saad Omer of Emory University in Atlanta, the researchers found that babies born to mothers who received the flu vaccine were 40% less likely to give birth to premature babies during the flu season which runs from October to May each year, and in the months when the most cases were reported, babies born to vaccinated moms were 70% less likely to be born prematurely. In a study led by Mark Steinhoff at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, the researchers found that pregnant women who received the flu shot gave birth to babies who were less likely to get sick with the flu in the first year of life than babies whose mothers did not get vaccinated. A new analysis of the same data shows that, on average, babies born to mothers who did not get the flu shot weigh half a pound less than babies whose mothers did get the vaccine. It is estimated that only 15-25% of pregnant women get the flu vaccine during flu season.
