Pregnant? You Need a Flu Shot!

Information for Pregnant Women

Flu can be a serious illness, especially when you are 

pregnant.

Getting sick with flu can cause serious problems when you are pregnant. 

Even if you are generally healthy, changes in the immune system, heart, and 

lungs during pregnancy make you more likely to get severely ill from flu. 

Pregnant women who get flu are at high risk of developing serious illness, 

including being hospitalized.

Flu shots are the best available protection for you – and 

your baby.

Getting a flu vaccine is the first and most important step in protecting 

against flu. Pregnant women should get a flu shot and not the live attenuated 

influenza vaccine (LAIV), also known as nasal spray flu vaccine. When you 

get your flu shot, your body starts to make antibodies that help protect you 

against flu. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies that 

protect against flu to develop in the body. In addition to protecting you, a 

flu shot given during pregnancy has been shown to help protect your baby 

from flu infection for several months after birth, when they are too young to 

get vaccinated. If you breastfeed your infant, antibodies also can be passed 

through breast milk. You should get a flu vaccine by the end of October. 

However as long as flu viruses are circulating, vaccination should continue 

throughout the flu season, even in January or later. 

If you have additional questions, talk to your doctor or health care provider 

about flu vaccination during pregnancy. 

Flu shots have a long safety record.

Flu shots are recommended at any time, during 

any trimester, while you are pregnant. Millions 

of flu vaccines have been given for decades, 

including to pregnant women, with a good safety 

record. There is a lot of evidence that flu vaccines 

can be given safely during pregnancy, though 

these data are limited for the first trimester.

If you deliver your baby before getting your flu 

shot, you still need to get vaccinated. 

Flu is spread from person to person. You, or 

others who care for your baby, may get sick with 

flu, and spread it to your baby. It is important 

that everyone who cares for your baby get a flu 

vaccine, including other household members, 

relatives, and babysitters.

Common side effects of a flu vaccine are mild

and may include soreness, tenderness,

redness and/or swelling where the shot

was given. Sometimes you might have a 

headache, muscle aches, fever, and nausea

or feel tired.

Because you are 

pregnant, CDC and 

your ob-gyn or midwife 

recommend you get 

a flu shot to protect 

yourself and your baby 

from flu.

You should get 

vaccinated by the end 

of October. This timing 

can help ensure that 

you are protected 

before flu activity 

begins to increase. 

Talk to your ob-gyn or 

midwife about getting a 

flu shot.

Last Updated 11/01/2018
If you have flu symptoms, call your doctor immediately. 

If you get flu symptoms (e.g., fever, cough, body aches headache, etc.) – even if you have already had a flu shot – 

call your doctor, nurse, or clinic right away. Doctors can prescribe influenza antiviral medicine to treat flu. Antiviral 

drugs can shorten your illness, make it milder and lessen the chance of developing serious complications. Because 

pregnant women are at high risk of serious flu complications, CDC recommends that they be treated quickly with 

flu antiviral drugs if they get flu symptoms. Oseltamivir (generic or brand name Tamiflu®) is the preferred treatment 

for pregnant women because it has the most studies available to suggest that it is safe and beneficial. Flu antiviral 

medications work best when started early.

Fever is often a symptom of flu. Having a fever early in pregnancy increases the chances of having a baby with birth 

defects or other problems. Acetaminophen (brand name Tylenol®) can reduce a fever, but you should still call your 

doctor or nurse and tell them about your illness.

If you have any of the following 

signs, call 911 and seek emergency 

medical care right away:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of

breath

• Pain or pressure in the chest or

abdomen

• Sudden dizziness or confusion

• Severe or persistent vomiting

• High fever that is not responding

to Tylenol® (or store brand

acetaminophen equivalent)

• Decreased or no movement of

your baby

For more information about 

the flu or the vaccine, call: 

1-800-CDC-INFO

or visit:

www.cdc.gov/flu/

 CS HCVG15-MAT-106 11/01/2018