A Q and A on Vaccination in Pregnancy
Vaccination in Pregnancy: straight answers to the questions people actually ask, with the figures behind them.
The vaccines recommended during pregnancy to protect both parent and baby.
Key takeaways
- Recommended: flu, whooping cough, COVID-19, RSV
- Whooping cough: usually from around 16 weeks
- Most useful single change: Have the recommended vaccines when offered by midwifery or the GP.
- Commonest mistake: Live vaccines such as MMR during pregnancy.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.
What is Vaccination in Pregnancy?
The vaccines recommended during pregnancy to protect both parent and baby.
Why does it matter?
Antibodies cross the placenta, protecting a newborn during the weeks before their own vaccinations begin.
Whooping cough for Vaccination in Pregnancy?
Usually from around 16 weeks.
Live vaccines for Vaccination in Pregnancy?
Generally avoided in pregnancy.
What is the single most useful thing to do?
Have the recommended vaccines when offered by midwifery or the GP.
What is the most common mistake?
Live vaccines such as MMR during pregnancy.
When should I see a doctor?
Contact your midwife or maternity unit for bleeding, severe abdominal pain, severe headache with visual disturbance, a temperature above 37.5C, or reduced fetal movements. Call 999 for difficulty breathing or collapse after any vaccination.
Where to go next
- Popular Beliefs About Vaccination in Pregnancy, and What Is Actually Published
- Starting Out With Vaccination in Pregnancy
- Vaccination in Pregnancy — the reference entry
- Vaccine Side Effects: What Published Guidance Supports
- Vaccine Hesitancy: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
When to speak to a doctor
Contact your midwife or maternity unit for bleeding, severe abdominal pain, severe headache with visual disturbance, a temperature above 37.5C, or reduced fetal movements. Call 999 for difficulty breathing or collapse after any vaccination.
Where this comes from
- UK Health Security Agency — vaccination in pregnancy
- NHS — Pregnancy vaccinations
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.
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