Transcription:

Scott Webb: We've all learned a lot about the importance of vaccines over the past couple of years. But when it comes to vaccines during pregnancy, which ones to get, which ones to avoid, it's good to have the expertise of my guest today, Dr. Megan Mehl. She's the Director of Obstetrics at Summa Health.

This is Healthy Vitals, a podcast from Summa Health. I'm Scott Webb. Doctor, thanks so much for your time today. This is an interesting topic because we've all, over the last couple of years, learned a lot about viruses and vaccines and the importance of vaccines, and there's so many vaccines. Even as an adult now, we think about flu and COVID and monkeypox and so much going on out there. But today, we're going to focus on pregnant moms and vaccines. So why is it important for pregnant individuals or those planning to get pregnant to be up-to-date on their vaccinations?

Why should you stay up-to-date on vaccinations if you're pregnant? 

Dr. Meghan Mehl: The biggest thing with vaccination is prevention and it's what we're trying to do. And prevention is ultimately the best medicine. We want to avoid being sick, if at all possible. So really, the best reasons to get vaccinated prior to pregnancy is to reduce the risk of getting those diseases that we know can cause poor outcomes of both mom and baby, and really just optimize mom's health before even getting pregnant, because that ultimately is what will lead to most successful and pleasant pregnancy outcomes.

Scott Webb: Yeah. And that's the goal, right? Successful and pleasant, right? That's what we're looking for new moms and families. So what are some vaccines females should get if they're planning on getting pregnant?

What vaccines should you get if you're planning on getting pregnant?

Dr. Meghan Mehl: Yeah. So when you talk to your primary care, your OB-GYN, about future pregnancy plans, asking about vaccinations is really important. You want to make sure you're up-to-date on your Tdap, which is going to be your tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis vaccine; measles, mumps, and rubella, which is MMR; hepatitis B; and then varicella, which would be chicken pox would be the biggest ones. Flu shot, if it's in flu season. The HPV vaccine is another one that you would want to be up-to-date on prior to pregnancy. And then, certain women who are at risk for complications related to these diseases would want to talk to their primary care about vaccinations, such as meningitis and pneumonia. A lot of patients are concerned about the flu shots in pregnancy, and that's definitely recommended and very safe to get while you're pregnant if you're pregnant during flu season. It actually will help pass immunity to the baby as well and give baby some advantages during that flu season.

The Tdap vaccine, even though we recommend you be up-to-date on it before getting pregnant, we will also recommend that you get it in the third trimester, meaning the later part of pregnancy in order to help pass immunity to baby, to give babies some advantage against pertussis, which is whooping cough. And then, we do recommend the COVID vaccine. We recommend the COVID vaccine at any point in pregnancy, meaning if you start the series before pregnancy, you can finish it during pregnancy. And we do encourage patients to get boosters appropriately as well.

Scott Webb: You're probably familiar, there's a lot of things that maybe grandmothers used to tell us or old wives' tales or whatever the cheesy expression is. But there's a lot of things that people think they know or believe that they know. And then, we find out later that they're not true. So I'm going to rely on your expertise here. But one of the things about pregnant women or during pregnancy is maybe some folks think, "Oh, well, it wouldn't be safe to get vaccines." So is it safe to get vaccines during pregnancy?

Is it safe to get vaccines during pregnancy?

Dr. Meghan Mehl: Yes, it is safe to get vaccines in pregnancy. Vaccines are encouraged in pregnancy, again for the reasons we talked about before. You're better off not getting the illness and risking severe and poor outcomes. So the vaccines are encouraged. And really, vaccines have been around for decades at this point with no evidence to indicate that there are poor outcomes in pregnancy, meaning risk of, you know, abnormalities, pregnancy loss, and those types of things.

Scott Webb: Yeah. When we think about the vaccines that you should get while you're pregnant, that a woman should get, or a new mom, mom-to-be should get, are there any vaccines that should be avoided during pregnancy?

What vaccines should be avoided during pregnancy?

Dr. Meghan Mehl: There are some vaccines that should be avoided in pregnancy. Those would include rubella. So the measles, mumps and rubella is actually a live vaccine, meaning we're giving you a little bit of the infection itself, and then vericella, which is chicken pox. So you definitely want to avoid those two in pregnancy.

I do want to reassure people that, even though they're live, so let's say a patient inadvertently gets vaccinated and then finds out that they're pregnant, we actually haven't seen poor outcomes, so it's a theoretical risk. If you need the rubella vaccine or you need the varicella vaccine, we would recommend you get it at least, the rubella 28, days before getting pregnant. And then the varicella, you get two months before. The HPV vaccine, which is a three-part series, is not recommended in pregnancy. So if you started it prior to pregnancy, we'd recommend you just finish it after you've delivered.

Scott Webb: Doctor, as we wrap up here, what are your final thoughts when we think about, those who might be on the fence or worried about vaccines before pregnancy, during pregnancy? What's your sort of takeaways?

What Dr. Meghan Mehl wants you to know about vaccines and pregnancy

Dr. Meghan Mehl: So I think it's normal to be nervous and worried. At the end of the day, we're mothers and fathers and aunts and uncles. And we all just want to do what's best for baby. So if you're really concerned or you're on the fence, talk to your doctor about it. You really should have an open and trusting relationship with them and understanding that the recommendations are to do not only what's best for you, but what's best for baby too. And what is ultimately best for baby is a very healthy mom. So let's keep you from getting sick in the first place, so that we can keep you healthy for your baby.

Scott Webb: Yeah, right. And prevention, that's the whole point, right? That's the whole point of this is preventing the illnesses. So healthy mom, healthy baby, happy families. Doctor, thanks so much for your time today. You stay well.

Dr. Meghan Mehl: You too. Thanks.

Scott Webb: And for more information about Summa's Maternity Services and Support, visit summahealth.org/maternity. And if you found this podcast to be helpful and informative, please share it on your social channels and be sure to check out the full podcast library for additional topics of interest. This is Healthy Vitals, a podcast from Summa Health. I'm Scott Webb. Stay well, and we'll talk again next time.