Vaccines are a tool used throughout medicine to protect patients of all ages from severe illnesses and can even be used to prevent cancers. During pregnancy, vaccines benefit both people who are pregnant and the baby after birth.
Vaccines commonly recommended during pregnancy include influenza, Tdap, COVID-19 and RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus. All of these vaccines are safe during pregnancy.
If you are expecting a baby or have a newborn at home, it is important to make sure that everyone around your baby is up to date on their vaccines.
Why Do Vaccines Matter During Pregnancy?
Vaccines are the best way to prevent illness and lessen symptoms. Protective antibodies cross the placenta, giving infants these antibodies at birth. Maternal antibodies are the primary source of infant immune protection until they are old enough to start getting their own vaccines.
Pregnancy and the newborn period are considered high-risk times for certain illnesses. People who are pregnant can become much sicker than others if they get the flu or COVID-19.
Babies younger than 3 months have the highest risk of severe disease and death from whooping cough (pertussis). RSV is the leading cause of hospitalization for infants in the United States.
Getting vaccinated during pregnancy will not make you sick or harm the fetus. Vaccines have been used for many years in millions of pregnancies. Research has consistently shown that vaccines do not cause pregnancy problems, birth defects or autism in children.
What Vaccines Are Commonly Recommended During Pregnancy?
- Influenza (flu shot) – This vaccine can be given any time during pregnancy and is effective at preventing severe flu illness during pregnancy. Infants receive maternal influenza antibodies which protect against flu until the infant can get their own flu vaccine at age 6 months. This is typically a seasonal vaccine given in the fall and winter months in Colorado. This vaccine is recommended yearly, both for pregnant and non-pregnant persons.
- Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) – This vaccine can be given at any time during pregnancy and is effective at preventing illness for infants from pertussis. Ideally this vaccine is administered in the early third trimester to optimize maternal antibodies movement across the placenta to the fetus. This vaccine is recommended in every pregnancy.
- COVID-19 – This vaccine can be received at any time in pregnancy. All studies to date have shown that vaccination reduces severe maternal illness which improves newborn outcomes and decreased preterm births. All studies to date have demonstrated safety of these vaccines during pregnancy.
- RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) – This is the newest vaccination to be introduced during pregnancy starting in 2023. The only formulation approved by the FDA for use during pregnancy is specifically Abrysvo (from Pfizer). Currently the RSV vaccine is recommended for a very narrow time period during pregnancy out of an abundance of caution based on the initial studies. Further studies are ongoing to further investigate the optimal timing of the vaccination both within pregnancy and for subsequent pregnancies.
| Vaccine Name | Disease Prevented | When to get during pregnancy | Seasonality | When to get it if not pregnant | When does infant get this vaccine? |
| Flu | Influenza | Each pregnancy at any gestational ageEach pregnancy at any gestational age | Fall and Winter | Annually | Eligible at 6 months |
| Tdap | Tetanus, diphtheria & pertussis (whooping cough) | Each pregnancy, ideally in the early third trimester | Not seasonal | Every 10 years or with any high-risk injury at high-risk for tetanus | Eligible at 2 months |
| COVID-19 | COVID-19 | Each pregnancy at any gestational age | Evolving, generally Fall and Winter | Evolving, likely annually | Eligible at 6 months |
| RSV , specifically “Abrysvo” (There are other formulations used for older adults that are not currently approved for use in pregnancy.) | Respiratory syncytial virus | 32 weeks to 36 weeks and 6 days (Currently, repeat doses not recommended in subsequent pregnancies, further studies ongoing) | September 1-January 31 | 60 years old and older, or 50 years old or older with certain conditions | No infant vaccine, but different preventative medication can be given seasonally |
What Vaccines Should Be Avoided During Pregnancy?
Out of an abundance of caution, live vaccines are NOT recommended during pregnancy. This includes common live-attenuated vaccines such as MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) and varicella (chicken pox).
Live vaccines can be safely given either pre-pregnancy or postpartum. It is important to know that if a live vaccine is inadvertently received when a patient is pregnant, there is no increased risk of infection or complications. Routine pregnancy care is still recommended.
How Can I Talk to My Provider About Vaccines?
Vaccines are a hot topic currently and not everything you see and hear in the media is completely accurate or based on reliable scientific data. If you have questions or concerns, please discuss it with your obstetric providers.
It might be helpful to bring specific examples of any concerns you have to your visit. If your provider doesn’t offer some or all of these vaccines in their office, they should be able to direct you to resources for these injections. It is safe and effective to receive multiple vaccinations at the same visit.
Additional resources are available as well through our governing body ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) and can be accessed at https://www.acog.org/womens-health/infographics/vaccines-during-pregnancy.
Final Takeaways About Vaccines When You Are Pregnant or Postpartum
One of the best ways that you can protect yourself and your baby from illness is to be up to date with all recommended vaccinations. While some people report symptoms from vaccines, these are short-lived and much preferred to the severe symptoms that the vaccines prevent.
While some of these conditions such as pertussis and RSV are not a significant risk to adults, infants are much more vulnerable. Maternal vaccination during pregnancy is a unique opportunity to boost the infant’s immune system in the first weeks and months of life.
About Dr. Anna Euser
Dr. Euser is a Colorado native who earned her MD and PhD at the University of Vermont. She completed her obstetrics and gynecology residency at the University of Minnesota before returning to Colorado in 2013 for a maternal-fetal medicine fellowship at the University of Colorado.
Currently, Dr. Euser is an associate professor of maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Colorado, where she provides comprehensive care for patients with complicated pregnancies. She manages complex maternal medical conditions during pregnancy, has expertise in ultrasound for fetal conditions, and performs prenatal diagnostic procedures such as chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis. She also works with medical students, residents and fellows in labor and delivery.
Dr. Euser has a special interest in the effects of high-altitude living on pregnancy and in improving the use of ultrasound in low-resource settings. She is active in several research projects in these areas.
In 2024, Dr. Euser was honored as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Immunization Champion, recognizing her leadership and commitment to advancing maternal immunization and public health.
She sees patients at multiple clinic sites along the Colorado Front Range, including Parker Perinatal Center – Alpine Medical Building, Little Perinatal Center – Arapahoe Medical Plaza II and CU John C. Hobbins Perinatal Center.
