There are some vaccines that are recommended during pregnancy, as they protect the pregnant woman from infections that can put her life at risk, but also harm the baby’s development. Furthermore, the recommended vaccines also allow antibodies to be transmitted to the baby, who is born with natural protection against these infections.
Furthermore, there are also some vaccines that may be indicated in special situations, especially when there is an outbreak of a disease in the region where the pregnant woman lives, and which must be indicated individually by the obstetrician.
However, not all vaccines are safe during pregnancy and, therefore, there are some that are contraindicated, such as the HPV or dengue vaccine, for example.
Recommended vaccines during pregnancy
The vaccines that are recommended for all pregnant women during pregnancy, and which are distributed free of charge, are:
Bacterial Triple (dTpa)
The triple bacterial vaccine, known as dTpa or dTpa-VIP, protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, and should be administered in the following cases:
- Pregnant woman previously vaccinated with 3 doses of the anti-tetanus component: 1 dose from 20 weeks of gestation;
- Pregnant woman with incomplete vaccination, with 1 dose of the antitetanus component: 1 dose after 20 weeks of pregnancy. In these cases, a dose of the dT vaccine must also be administered, with a minimum interval of 1 month between vaccines;
- Pregnant woman with incomplete vaccination, with 2 doses of the antitetanus component: 1 dose from 20 weeks of pregnancy;
- Unvaccinated pregnant woman: 1 dose after the 20th week of pregnancy. In these cases, 2 doses of the dT vaccine must also be administered, with a minimum interval of 1 month between vaccines.
Women who were not vaccinated during pregnancy should receive this vaccine as soon as possible after giving birth.
Adult duo (dT):
The adult double vaccine, known as dT, protects against tetanus and diphtheria infection and is indicated for:
- Pregnant woman with incomplete vaccination, with 1 dose of the antitetanus component: 1 dose of the vaccine must be administered, at least 1 month apart from the Tpa vaccine;
- Unvaccinated pregnant woman: 2 doses of the vaccine must be administered, at least 1 month apart from the Tpa vaccine.
If the pregnant woman was not vaccinated during pregnancy, she should be vaccinated as soon as possible after giving birth.
Influenza (gripe)
The influenza vaccine is an annual vaccine that must be administered in a single dose to people at increased risk for complications, such as pregnancy. Therefore, pregnant women should be vaccinated against the flu in the months when there is a greater risk of catching the flu.
Hepatitis B
The hepatitis B vaccine should be administered to all pregnant women who have not previously been vaccinated against the infection and who are at greater risk of contracting the disease. Generally, the vaccine is administered in 3 doses: at the beginning of pregnancy, 1 month after the 1st dose and 6 months after the 2nd dose.
Vaccines recommended in special situations
In addition to the vaccines that are recommended for all pregnant women, there are also some vaccines that are only recommended in special situations. That is, they may be recommended by the obstetrician when there is an outbreak of the disease in the region where the pregnant woman lives or when the woman has risk factors for one of the following infections:
- Hepatitis A;
- Pneumonia;
- Meningitis;
- Yellow fever.
Vaccinations against these infections should always be recommended by the obstetrician providing prenatal care. Furthermore, only the yellow fever vaccine is administered free of charge at vaccination centers.
Vaccines contraindicated during pregnancy
Some vaccines are not recommended during pregnancy because these vaccines are made with the infectious agent attenuated, that is, with its infection capacity reduced, so that only the immune system reacts and produces antibodies against this virus. However, due to the risk of transmission to the baby, it is recommended that these vaccines are not administered to avoid complications.
Contraindicated vaccines are:
- Triple viral, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella;
- HPV vaccine;
- Chickenpox/varicella vaccine;
- Dengue vaccine.
As these vaccines cannot be administered during pregnancy, the recommendation is that women always keep their vaccines up to date.
Although these vaccines are not recommended during pregnancy, they can be administered after the baby is born and during breastfeeding, as there is no risk of transmission to the baby through milk, with the exception of the dengue vaccine.
