Vaccination before pregnancy: What you need to know

To prepare for the little angel to appear, mothers always have hundreds of thousands of questions. One of the big concerns is how to vaccinate before pregnancy. Let's explore this with SignsSymptomsList to ensure a healthy pregnancy for your baby.

content

• 1. Why should vaccination before pregnancy?
• 2. Pre-pregnancy vaccinations include which vaccines?
• 3. Reference prices for vaccines that need to be vaccinated before pregnancy
• 4. What to keep in mind when injecting vaccines?

1. Why should vaccination before pregnancy?

During pregnancy, the body's immune system will work less than usual. Therefore, vaccination is an effective measure to protect mother and baby during the 9-month pregnancy. If the mother is unfortunately infected with some infectious diseases during pregnancy, the possibility of adverse effects on the fetus is very high. It can even cause the fetus to stop growing.

Moreover, vaccination for pregnant women is also a way to protect and form the baby's immune system while in the womb. Thanks to this, the baby after birth has passive immunity from the mother. Thereby, reducing the risk of disease when the resistance is still immature.

>> See also: Immune system, immunization and ANTI-VACXIN movement

Finally, if the regulations on vaccination safety are strictly followed, the vaccines given before pregnancy are very safe and do not adversely affect the mother and the baby. In fact, performing vaccination services for pregnant women is not a mandatory requirement. However, doctors still encourage women to pay attention to this issue.

Vaccination before pregnancy is a must

2. Pre-pregnancy vaccinations include which vaccines?

The vaccines listed below are essential vaccines that every woman should get before trying to become a mother.

2.1 Influenza vaccine

Influenza is an acute respiratory infection caused by an influenza virus. For the average person, getting a flu shot every year is the most effective way to prevent this common illness.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that pregnant women still need a flu vaccine to protect both mother and baby.

For the best results, women should take the initiative to get a flu shot 1 month before pregnancy. If you are pregnant but have not yet received a flu shot, you can still get a flu vaccine (inactivated) to prevent illness.

2.2 3-in-1 vaccine: Measles – Mumps – Rubella

Measles - Mumps - Rubella are all very contagious respiratory diseases if not vaccinated with previous vaccines. Currently, there is a combination vaccine that helps prevent these three diseases at the same time. The MMR II vaccine is the most common. If not vaccinated, the disease will lead to serious serious complications. In particular, infants and pregnant women are always sensitive subjects.

The recommended time for vaccination with MMR II is 3 months before pregnancy. This helps the body have enough time to produce antibodies to prevent disease, while not affecting the fetus. Because like other live attenuated vaccines, MMR II should not be given to women who know they are pregnant.

MMR II vaccine

In case a pregnant woman misses a pregnancy when she is vaccinated (the time from vaccination to pregnancy is less than 1 month), the mother needs to notify the obstetrician for advice on care measures. appropriate pregnancy monitoring.

2.3 Chickenpox vaccine

If a pregnant woman gets chickenpox between 8 and 20 weeks of pregnancy, there is a high risk of birth defects in the fetus. If your baby gets chickenpox shortly before or after birth, there is a very high risk of neonatal chickenpox. Therefore, women of childbearing age in general, especially those who are planning to have a family and become pregnant, should be vaccinated against chickenpox to avoid unfortunate risks.

For chickenpox vaccine , the Ministry of Health recommends vaccination before pregnancy, preferably 3 months and at least 1 month. The chickenpox vaccine was also not given when I found out I was pregnant

2.4 Diphtheria – pertussis – tetanus vaccine

The first few months of life are when infants are at greatest risk of contracting diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus. The consequences can easily lead to serious, high-risk, life-threatening complications. Most of the deaths from the disease were in infants who were not protected by the vaccine. The reason is because the children are too young to be protected by vaccinations. Accordingly, vaccination can only be started when the child is 2 months old.

To protect the baby during this particularly sensitive time, pregnant women should get vaccinated against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis during each pregnancy. The recommended time period is weeks 27 - 36. At that time, the vaccine will help protect the baby against pathogens from birth. Because, babies have to wait until 2 months old to be vaccinated.

2.5 Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B vaccination before pregnancy is divided into 3 doses 0-1-6. That is, the first two injections are given 1 month apart for initial basal immunity. The third dose is given 6 months after the first dose.

For routine vaccinations, doctors recommend getting them at least 3 months before pregnancy. For hepatitis B you can get vaccinated before you get pregnant. During pregnancy, you can still continue to have the remaining injections if you have not had all of them.

To ensure absolute safety, you should complete the injections before becoming pregnant. The aim is to prevent the virus from attacking in the early stages of pregnancy. When vaccinated, it takes 3-6 months for the body to make antibodies. You should know this to make sure the vaccination is effective and effective. 

2.6 Tetanus Vaccine

Women of reproductive age who have not been immunized against tetanus need to be vaccinated to protect themselves and their babies. The total number of tetanus vaccinations is 5. After 5 times, whether to have a booster shot or not depends on how long ago the last shot was before you were pregnant.

The injection schedule is as follows:

– 1st dose: Early injection when pregnant for the first time or women of reproductive age. Usually, the injection is done in April-May.

– 2nd dose: At least 1 month after 1st dose and at least 1 month before giving birth.

For women who are pregnant for the first time, two shots of tetanus during pregnancy are sufficient.

– 3rd dose: At least 6 months after 2nd dose or next pregnancy.

The following pregnancies: only get 1 dose of tetanus vaccine if the previous pregnancy has had 2 doses of tetanus vaccine.

– 4th dose: At least 1 year after the 3rd dose or the next pregnancy.

– The 5th dose: At least 1 year after the 4th dose or the next pregnancy.

- The 6th dose should be repeated when the 5th dose is more than 10 years old.

2.7 HPV vaccine

In addition, women of childbearing age, especially under 26 years of age, should receive additional vaccination against cervical cancer (HPV). The HPV vaccine consists of 3 doses. The injection regimen is 0, 1, 6 months or 0, 2, 6 months depending on the vaccine manufacturer. If you are pregnant with the HPV vaccine, you should stop the vaccination. After giving birth, the new mother should get the next injection. However, the time to complete the three injections should not exceed 2 years.

Besides, if possible, women should get vaccinated against hepatitis A, pneumococcal pneumonia... to protect their health.

3. Reference prices for vaccines that need to be vaccinated before pregnancy

Depending on the medical facility and accompanying services, vaccines will have different prices. Below is a reference price list of commonly injected vaccines.

STT	Type of vaccine	Vaccine name	Country of manufacture	Average reference price	Note
first	Flu	Influvac 0.5ml	Netherlands	300,000 – 350,000 VND
2	3-in-1 vaccine: Measles – Mumps – Rubella	MMRII	America	200,000 – 300,000 VND	Do not inject if you know you are pregnant
3	Chicken pox	Varivax	America	650,000 – 850,000 VND	Do not inject if you know you are pregnant
4	3-in-1 vaccine: Diphtheria – Pertussis – Tetanus	Adacel	Canada	550,000 – 630,000 VND
5	Hepatitis B	Engerix B 1ml	Belgium	200,000 – 250,000 VND	Need test before injection
6	Tetanus	VAT	Vietnam	70,000 – 120,000 VND

4. What to keep in mind when injecting vaccines?

4.1 Missing pregnancy while vaccination?

Live vaccines are made using live strains of viruses. Therefore, pregnant women receiving live vaccines can harm the fetus. Therefore, measles, mumps, rubella or chickenpox all need to be vaccinated at least 1 month before pregnancy.

In case a woman who has just been vaccinated with the above vaccines finds herself pregnant, she should immediately notify her doctor for close monitoring of the pregnancy. Vaccination during pregnancy is not an indication for termination of pregnancy

4.2 How long does pre-pregnancy vaccination work?

Flu vaccine

• It only provides protection for 1 year, so a booster shot is needed every year.
• Measles-mumps-rubella vaccine.
• With MMRII, only a single injection is required. If there is fluid, repeat injection.

Hepatitis B vaccine

Just need to complete a course of 3 injections and 1 booster shot after a year.

4.3 What reactions can be experienced after injection?

After vaccination, there will often be a side effect of low-grade fever, especially when tetanus is injected. The flu shot can cause flu-like symptoms such as sneezing and runny nose for a few days. However, these are just common side effects. You don't need to worry or take any more medications.

The mother can take measures such as applying a warm towel, using a warm towel to wipe her body, adding green vegetables and vitamin-rich fruits to relieve the symptoms. If the fever lasts too long from 3 to 4 days, with severe symptoms such as high fever, fatigue, and lethargy, you should go to the hospital for timely examination.

After getting a flu shot, you may experience sneezing and a runny nose

Thus, thanks to the vaccine, the mother will reduce the risk of infectious diseases, affecting the development of the fetus. This is also a way to protect and help the baby to be healthy and have good resistance after birth. If you are of childbearing age, are about to get married or are planning to have a baby in the near future, do not hesitate to get vaccinated before becoming pregnant.

>> See more:

Pregnancy planning: What do I need to prepare?

Troubleshooting pregnancy: 10 important questions mothers should ask when going to antenatal care